Tag: market house

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History and Heritage News

Market House update

Market House in St Ives, Cornwall

Since the last update report there has been significant progress in preparing the Market House for use by the Archive. In early 2024 The St Ives Archive and Town Council were fortunate enough to receive central government funding from the Community Ownership Fund and the Town Enterprise Grant to renovate the Market House in the centre of St Ives. The funding received amounts to £400,000 with further funding for running costs and employment. The funding will enable The Archive to have central, secure and purpose designed premises which will have the advantage of disabled access through the inclusion of a lift and disabled toilet facility.

After a period of planning and preparation work has now started on site. A competitive tendering exercise has been undertaken and Ardent are appointed as the preferred contractor and they have wasted no time on getting to grips with the job starting with the stripping out of the non-historic parts of the premises.

To enable the work to take place this has involved the closure of the Blue Bramble Shop for a couple of months and disruption to another adjacent unit. The Archive is grateful for the cooperation and patience shown by the tenants during this disruptive process.

The works in the initial phase involve the removal of the main staircase, digging the foundation holes for the lift and the foundations for structural steelwork to support the upper floor. Further strengthening of the floor has been necessary to support the Archives roller racking which will be situated in a safe store behind the historic police cells. A major upgrade to the electricity supply for the whole of the premises has already been undertaken by National Grid.

The next phases of work will be to complete the downstairs floor screed , install the structural steelwork and ensure that trading can once more commence in the units currently under construction. A design workshop is to be held shortly to enable more detailed aspects of the internal fit out to be agreed with the contractor.

As part of the preparation work for the move, the Archive has secured grant funding from The National Archives at Kew for a conservation audit. The audit of the current collection was carried out in February by a professional conservationist and recommendations have been made on how to move the collection and also design considerations for the Market House. An action plan has been agreed by Trustees and this will be become the core topic for Volunteers meetings. The project is currently progressing to plan and the building works are expected to be completed by the end of this year with an opening in Spring 2026.

Categories
Events History and Heritage News

Overwhelming Support for St Ives Archive’s Move Back into Town

Market House 1964

This year we opened the Market House in March and August to enable the local community and visitors to view the interiors for the first time in over 70 years. This has provided a great opportunity to share our thoughts with those who visited and to learn what potential future users might want from the new Archive space. On both days we used a questionnaire to gather thoughts and information to help inform what services we offer. Both events were a great success and were well attended; we received 58 responses representing roughly a quarter of all those attending.

We asked have you visited the Archive before and 43% said that they had either visited when we were in the town centre before or at Carbis Bay. Encouragingly we had 27 new visitors who had not visited the Archive before in either location.

Nearly all visitors (92%) knew what an archive does which means we are currently attracting those who are already interested and those who were invited. Our future challenge will be to make the collection more accessible to those who would not normally use an archive or know what it does.

There was overwhelming support when asked about the Archive moving back into town. Some example responses are: Brilliant use of the Market House due to its history, Good place to drop into, Exciting to have in town for all to see and many thought it was simply a good idea.

Asked whether you are more likely to visit in the future when in town, 99% of those responding said yes and a fifth of those said they would visit more. This level of response shows significant support for moving into town and away from the premises in Carbis Bay.

When asked if we were to have exhibitions on local topics would they be of interest, we had 54 responses (93% ) all of which said yes and we received a huge number of ideas, here are just some of them:

  • Old Photographs
  • Old St Ives
  • Local history, artists, photography
  • Businesses past
  • History of sailing, lighthouses, shipwrecks
  • Local history, artists,
  • Church, mining
  • Artists, local artists, history
  • Old shops, how things used to be
  • The Jumbos
  • Rowing
  • Fish processing, tin mines and workers,  Cornish traditions
  • Railways, branch line
  • Old characters in the town ‘Limpy’ etc.
  • How the town became a centre for art
  • History of St Ives and surrounding area
  • World War 2 including evacuation, prisoners and crimes, events associated with The Market House

This has provided us with some valuable ideas for exhibitions and we are open to more. If you would like to contact us through this website with more ideas you will be most welcome, we want to make what we do at the Archive both relevant and interesting to the community of St Ives and its visitors.

As a final question we asked if we were to have a bookshop would you support it and 93% of respondents were in support of this idea.

The Archive Trustees and volunteers thoroughly enjoyed opening the premises for a viewing prior to the refurbishment works being carried out. Our thanks go to the St Ives Town Council for affording us this opportunity to begin to share our new home more widely.

Categories
News

National Archives Grant Awarded to St Ives Archive

St Ives Archive

In October 2024 St Ives Archive was awarded one of three Resilience Grants by The National Archives. We will use the grant to undertake a collections’ care audit, carried out by qualified and experienced conservator Victoria Stevens. The audit will include a review of the existing collection and access policies, and it will make recommendations for moving the collection to new premises in St Ives. It will also provide advice on storage requirements and modern collections’ care facilities, including environmental and security controls.

Lyn Burchess, Chair of St Ives Archive, said “This is a wonderful opportunity to improve the care of our collections, and enable our volunteers to implement and engage with all aspects of conservation.”

Categories
Events History and Heritage News

Progressing The Market House

Market House

During this year we have held a number of Open Days at the Market House to enable the community to enjoy access to the space for the first time in 75 years. These days have been so successful that many people already think we have moved in! In reality, there is a lot of work to do before we can finally call it home.

Over the past few months we have been working on finalising the grant funding from both the Community Ownership Fund and The Enterprise Grant awarded as part of the St Ives Town Deal. This grant funding will be used to update and renovate the building. Both sources of funding are part of the previous Government’s Levelling Up Programme, and in accessing these grants, the Archive has worked in partnership with the St Ives Town Council who own the building.

The Archive wants to transform The Market House into a modern and welcoming space for both visitors and the local community. At the same time, we wish to retain the historic heritage of the building once home to the Town Council before 1939 and where a Magistrates court was regularly held. The Magistrate’s chair is still in situ and thanks to a kind and generous offer it will be reupholstered and conserved by a local company.

The Archive intends to appoint an architect who understands the value of retaining the local heritage, but who also understands the needs of a modern archive. Wherever possible consideration will be given to environmental sustainability and improved access.

Over the next few months design work will commence to determine how we will fit into the new space whilst retaining the historic features. One of the main innovations to conserve space is the use of modern roller racking. This, however, is not without its difficulties as structural steelwork will be required and this will inevitably cause some disruption.

Once the building design work is finalised along with structural advice, a tender exercise for the building work will be carried out. This is expected to go live in the next two months.

A huge improvement in the building’s accessibility will be the reworking of the existing staircase which has been a barrier to use for a number of years. This improvement will be augmented by the installation of a lift to the first floor, which will facilitate easy access to an archive space, which will provide wheelchair-friendly movement and compatible furniture.

A final date for moving into The Market House has not yet been set, however it is expected to be in early 2026. 

In order to achieve this date and provide the town with an asset it can be proud of, considerable voluntary effort will be needed. We always welcome new volunteers, so if you are interested in joining us at this exciting time, please contact admin@stivesarchive.org for an application form. As we will need to finance the physical move ourselves, donations through our website are also greatly welcome and appreciated.

Categories
Events News

St Ives Archive and St Ives Town Council Secure Funding for Market House Move

Market House, St Ives

St Ives Town Council Joint Press Release  

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25th March 2024

St Ives Archive is on the move, as the partnership between the Archive and the Town Council secures Government Funding 

St Ives Town Council, working in close partnership with St Ives Archive, are thrilled to announce that Community Ownership funding has been secured to help the relocation of the Archive to the historic Market House.

Plans involve the renovation of the first floor of Market House to bring the Archive back to the heart of the town. The distinctive Grade II Listed building will have an improved access and be opened up to the community for the first time in decades.

Market House, St Ives
Market House, St Ives in 2007 (Photo: Kenneth Allen / Wikimedia Commons)

£275,000 has been awarded from the fund, which will enable the restoration and refurbishment works, improving the access to the building while enhancing the important historic features.

The Community Ownership Fund has so far awarded £71.4 million to 257 projects across the UK, and the St Ives Archive’s relocation to Market House is part of the third round of the fund.

Returning to the heart of the Town, the Archive will be able to welcome more visitors, revealing a wealth of important local material and by moving to Market House, a unique local landmark building will be restored and safeguarded for the future.

The second community open day at Market House, will take place this week on 28th March 2024 between 10am and 3pm. Today’s (25th March 2024) announcement will make the day more special as there is now great confidence that the project will become a reality.  All are welcome to take a look inside Market House, enjoy a celebratory slice of cake, and view the exhibition about Bryan Pearce, renowned St Ives artist, who portrayed Market House in his paintings, many times.

Councillor Tony Harris, Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee for St Ives Town Council said:  

“I am absolutely delighted at this news! St Ives Archive can realise their long-held dream of moving back into the heart of our community, where it belongs. The move to the Market House will help the Centre provide archival and local history services for many more local people and visitors alike. This will help further safeguard and promote our local heritage for generations to come. Its new home, Market House has its own fascinating history and is a perfect match. Funding has made this possible, but it would not have happened without the trustees at the Centre and the Town Council’s own team working tirelessly together.”

Lyn Burchess, Chair of the Archive said:  

“We have been working very closely with the town council for many months on this exciting project, with the aim of moving back into town. The Market house is an iconic building, and it’s a perfect fit for the Archive, allowing more people to access our wonderful heritage.”

Community Ownership funding is awarded by the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The programme is allocating over £150 million in funding to support community ownership of local assets. The project was one of two in Cornwall in round three, window 3. It is eligible because the Town Council will be passing a long lease of the first floor premises to the Archive, to safeguard its future as a community project.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/community-ownership-fund-first-round-successful-bidders#round-3-window-3-successful-bidders

Most of the funding is for capital works but a small amount will help the Archive fund a project officer. Funding will allow the project to go ahead, although a smaller award of a Town Deal Enterprise grant has been approved in principle but awaits final sign off.

Categories
Events History and Heritage News

St Ives Archive is Coming to Town!

Market House, St Ives 2010

In 2023, St Ives Town Council approached the Trustees of St Ives Archive and offered them a permanent home – Market House in Market Place. It is a perfect partnership, enabling the guardians of St Ives history to breathe life once again into this important building, which was Grade II listed in 1972.

The Market House has been the home of commerce and administration in St Ives since 1490. The original building was made of wood with an open ground floor which provided a sheltered area for trading. In 1832 this building was demolished and replaced by the larger granite building that exists today. The rounded ends of Market House, which gives the building such a distinctive shape, were designed for a specific purpose. The rounded ends allowed space for carts carrying ships’ masts to and from the Harbour to negotiate around the tight corners of St Ives’ streets.

The first floor of the new Market House became the Town Hall. It became both the council chamber for St Ives Town Council and also the Magistrate’s Court until the new Guildhall was built in Street an Pol and the Municipal Offices relocated there in 1940.  

Since it was founded in 1996, St Ives Archive has never had a permanent home. Wesley Methodist Church in Carbis Bay is currently its third location, and to move back into St Ives was always the aim of the Archive. So when the Archive Trustees were approached by the town council with the offer to move into the first floor of Market House, they were delighted to accept. The proposal is subject to raising the necessary funding, with the aim of completion in 2025. Applications for a St Ives Enterprise grant and the Government’s Community Ownership Fund are being prepared.

Archive volunteers were the first members of the public to have an escorted tour of the premises. An Open Day hosted by the Archive was held on 15th December 2023, and the response from the many visitors was overwhelmingly positive towards the move. On Thursday 28th March 2024, from 10am until 3pm, St Ives Archive will once again open the doors of Market House and hold a second Open Day with the co-operation of the Town Council.

It will be an opportunity to see the historic first floor – complete with the ceremonial chair and cells – before the first floor is closed for renovation. Refreshments will be available on the Open Day and a selection of Archive publications will be on sale. Volunteers will be there to give information and answer questions about the Archive and also to extend a warm welcome to any prospective volunteers. Volunteers are the life blood of the Archive and each one is valued for their commitment, time and skills at every level. This is an exciting time to join the team of enthusiastic volunteers and to experience being part of this unique project of relocation and the creation of a new Heritage and Study Centre.

By: Wendy Grove

This article was originally published in the March / April 2024 issue of St Ives Local magazine.

Image: Market Place, St Ives pictured in April 2010. Market House and Moffat Gallery can be seen on the right with St Eia House and No Worries souvenir shop on the left (Source: Wikimedia Commons).

Categories
Events News

Plans for a new Archive to Unlock the Secrets of Market House

Market House, St Ives

St Ives Town Council Joint Press Release  

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21 June 2023

Plans for a new Archive to Unlock the Secrets of Market House 

St Ives Town Council, working in close partnership with St Ives Archive are about to embark upon an exciting new heritage project to create an Archive Resource Centre in the centre of the town. The project’s aim is to renovate the first floor of Market House, bringing it back into community use for the first time in decades.  

The St Ives Archive, now celebrating its 27th year, was for many years located at the Parish Rooms. Following the sale of the Rooms five years ago, the Archive has operated from the Wesley Chapel in Carbis Bay, but has always aspired to return to a prominent location in the town so more people can access its wealth of important local material.  The organisation is operated by local volunteers and is self-supporting from its own fundraising activities. 

The Town Council is the owner of the Market House, a listed building built in 1832. The first-floor premises are an impressive heritage asset, retaining many original features of the old Guildhall where the Mayor and Corporation met to discuss the town’s affairs. Regular magistrate court hearings were also held, complete with original judge’s chair and prisoner cells, yet few people have had the opportunity to look inside. The building is in good shape but the upstairs rooms are in need of sensitive restoration.  

The ambition is to refurbish the upper rooms into a modern facility for reference, display and study with access for all. This will then be leased and operated by the Archive. The project will also involve the departure of the snooker club and the Council has considered this very carefully. But with the club’s dwindling membership, the community benefits of housing the Archive and the chance to restore the historic building, meant this difficult decision has been taken.  

The project will take some time to progress – the restoration work will require listed building consent for a new access.  The Council and the Archive will be working closely together over the coming months, to progress the scheme and develop a funding strategy to seek grant funding for the works.  

Councillor Tony Harris, Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee said:  

“This exciting project will bring together the Archive’s local treasure trove and a building with a hidden history. Although the project is at an early stage, the Council is fully committed to working with the Archive to unlock the funds needed to restore this unique building for a very fitting use. We hope it will also ensure more local people have the chance to enjoy the history of the parish.” 

Lyn Burchess, the Archive Chair said:  

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make the  Archive a focus for the community it serves  and  also serve the wider visiting public. We look forward to working with the Town Council to make this exciting vision a reality.”