Taking Care of Your Heritage

St Ives is a beautiful coastal town in the far west of Cornwall renowned for its fishing and mining heritage. It has long been a magnet for artists – and still is.

St Ives Archive is a registered charity whose aim is to develop and maintain a local historical archive for the benefit and use of the public, covering all aspects of the history, geography, natural history, the arts, architecture and the inhabitants of the parishes of St Ives, Carbis Bay, Lelant, Halsetown and Towednack in Cornwall. We began in 1996 and continue as a community activity staffed by volunteers and funded through grants from local businesses, membership, sales of publications and donations. We have collected information on every aspect of the town’s unique history, its people and neighbouring parishes.

We have volunteers who have special areas of expertise. They can help with research, whether it’s a simple query or a detailed research project. Learn more about what we do in this short film:

We encourage visitors, where possible, to book a visit in advance as it helps us to prepare and coordinate with the volunteers who specialise in the topic they are interested in.