| St Ives Guildhall | |
|---|---|
 St Ives Guildhall | |
| Location | Street An Pol, St Ives |
| Coordinates | 50°12′42″N5°28′49″W / 50.2116°N 5.4803°W |
| Built | 1939 |
| Architect | Geoffrey B. Drewitt |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
  Shown in Cornwall | |
St Ives Guildhall is a municipal structure in Street An Pol, St Ives, Cornwall, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of St Ives Town Council, is a locally listed heritage asset. [1]
The first municipal building in St Ives was a medieval guildhall in Fore Street which was completed in 1490. [2] The local portreeve, John Payne, who held meetings in the old guildhall, was hanged as a rebel during the Prayer Book Rebellion in 1549. [2] In the 1820s, civic leaders decided to demolish the old guildhall and replace it with a market hall. The new market hall, which included a lock-up on the ground floor and an assembly hall on the first floor, was completed in 1832: the area became a municipal borough with the building functioning as its headquarters in 1835. [3] The assembly room was used as a courthouse as well as a civic meeting place. [2]
Following a significant increase in population, largely associated with the fishing industry, civic leaders decided that the town needed a purpose-built guildhall: the site they selected in Street An Pol, was occupied by a mansion known as The Retreat, which had been the home of the Anthony family and, later, of the Lanham family. [4] In the late 19th century, James Lanham had opened an art gallery which was the genesis of the St Ives art colony. [5]
The new building was designed by a local architect, Geoffrey B. Drewitt, in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1939. [1] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto Street An Pol; the central bay featured a deeply recessed doorway with a stone surround flanked by brackets supporting a wide wrought iron balcony which encompassed the centre three bays. The ground floor was fenestrated by rows of six small windows on either side of the central bay while the first floor was fenestrated by tall sash windows and there was a turret at roof level. Internally, the principal rooms were the main hall, the council chamber, the balcony room and the mayor's parlour. [6]
The guildhall continued to serve as the headquarters of the borough council for much of the 20th century, [7] but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Penwith District Council was formed in 1974. [8] A visitor information centre was subsequently established in the guildhall, [9] which also became the meeting place of St Ives Town Council. [10]
A piece of art, entitled Dual Form, designed by the sculptor, Dame Barbara Hepworth, who lived in St Ives, [11] was unveiled outside the guildhall in 1966. [12] In 2024, it was reported that the sculpture would be moved to Kresen Kernow in Redruth while the guildhall underwent renovation. [13] Works of art in the guildhall include a painting by Mary McCrossan depicting an interior with a still life, [14] and a painting by Robert Borlase Smart depicting a clipper in St Ives Bay [15] as well as a smaller sculpture by Barbara Hepworth entitled Small Form. [16]
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times, it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial emphasis, and the town is now primarily a popular seaside resort, notably achieving the title of Best UK Seaside Town from the British Travel Awards in both 2010 and 2011. St Ives was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1639. St Ives has become renowned for its number of artists. It was named best seaside town of 2007 by The Guardian newspaper.
Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leading figure in the colony of artists who resided in St Ives during the Second World War.
Benjamin Lauder Nicholson, OM was an English painter of abstract compositions, landscapes, and still-life. He was one of the leading promoters of abstract art in England.
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham CBE was one of the foremost British abstract artists, a member of the influential Penwith Society of Arts.
The St Ives School refers to a group of artists living and working in the Cornish town of St Ives. The term is often used to refer to the 20th century groups which sprung up after the First World War around such artists as Borlase Smart, however there was considerable artistic activity there from the late 19th Century onwards.
Denis Adeane Mitchell was an English abstract sculptor who worked mainly in bronze and wood. A prominent member of the St Ives group of artists, he worked as an assistant to Barbara Hepworth for many years.
Lys Kernow, known as New County Hall between 1966 and 2009, is a municipal facility at Treyew Road in Truro, Cornwall. Dalvenie House, which is at the north end of the site, is retained for use as the county register office. The building, which serves as the headquarters of Cornwall Council, is a Grade II listed building.
St Ives Town Hall is a municipal structure in Market Hill, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of St Ives Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Poole Guildhall is a municipal building in Market Street, Poole, Dorset, England. The guildhall, which is used as a register office and a venue for weddings and civil partnership ceremonies, is a Grade II* listed building.
Chipping Norton Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England. The building, which is used as an events venue, is a Grade II* listed building.
Queenborough Guildhall is a former municipal building in the High Street in Queenborough, Kent, England. The structure, which is currently used as a museum, is a Grade II listed building.
Hadleigh Town Hall, also referred to as the New Town Hall, is a municipal building in the Market Place in Hadleigh, Suffolk, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Hadleigh Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Cardigan Guildhall, is a municipal building in Pendre, Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales. The structure, which is now used as an art gallery and community events venue, is a Grade II* listed building.
Tenby Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The structure, which is used as an events venue, is a Grade II listed building.
The Palais de Danse is a former cinema, dance hall, ballet school and auction house in St Ives, Cornwall which was a studio for sculptor and artist Barbara Hepworth from 1961 until her death in 1975. After her death, the Palais was kept by her family until it was donated to Tate in 2015. In 2020, Historic England designated it a Grade II listed building.
Harwich Guildhall is a municipal building in Church Street, Harwich, Essex, England. The structure, which accommodates the offices of Harwich Town Council, is a Grade I listed building.
Bodmin Guildhall is a historic building in Fore Street in Bodmin, a town in Cornwall, in England. The structure, which was used for municipal purposes before being converted for use as a baker's shop and restaurant, is a Grade II listed building.
The Old Courthouse, also known as the Old Town Hall, is a historic building in Penryn Street in Redruth, a town in Cornwall, in England. The structure, which was used for judicial purposes before being converted for use as a social club, is a Grade II listed building.