|
St Ives is an artists' colony, fishing village and holiday haunt. Porthmeor Beach, famous for surfing, is surrounded by National Trust headlands and coastal cliff walks The view from the apartment is stunning - rock pools, a wide fine sand beach and the Atlantic - calm one day, full of great white caps the next. The light is fantastic which explains why Porthmeor has been painted by so many famous artists: Barbara Hepworth, Bernard Leach, Ben Nicholson, W. Barnes-Graham, Patrick Heron, The list is long and may inspire you to get out the charcoal!
A Civic Trust Award winner, Piazza is constructed from granite and glass with private access to Porthmeor (door with code for residents only). Next door is the well known St Ives School of Painting full of studios used by artists with open classes and studio sessions for visitors. You will be moved and delighted by the Hepworth sculptures all over town (2 at Piazza) and in the magical garden in her former studio on Barnoon Hill.
The contemporary Tate St Ives Museum, further along the beach, has a thriving outreach department with many workshops and working artists as tutors. Whether you surf, sketch or admire those who do, you will be part of a lively scene!
Our apartment is a double height glass-fronted studio. The living room, (20' by 12'), has a glass wall facing the ocean with a door to a balcony over Porthmeor. A double sofa-bed, and two single daybeds along one wall offer flexibility in sleeping arrangements but 4/5 is a comfortable maximum number of guests.
You will have a sea view from the well-equipped kitchen: fridge, gas cooker, microwave, stainless steel pans, kettle, toaster, magimix, Denmark/Denby china, slate top. Bathroom has a tub, power shower, vanitory basin, WC. Open stairs lead to a double bedroom with queen size bed and a 3' trundle bed, built-in vanitory and cupboard.
Another sliding glass wall opens to a South-facing terrace furnished for dining al fresco with a view of slate roofs, granite towers and circling gulls which give the town so much character. In the courtyard below is a full laundry room with washer and dryer.
The apartment is for all weathers; Winter seas are dramatic. Provided you have waterproofs, a tramp along the cliff path is exciting. You will return to warmth and music . Full off-peak storage heating with powerful convectors for quick top-up. Plentiful hot water. Just put on a CD and relax.
We have found the apartment works enormously well off-season as a bolt-hole for recharging batteries or coping with a concentrated bit of work. Even in the busy school holidays the walk along the coastal path from Zennor leaves people behind, clears the cobwebs and lifts the spirits.
We are in the oldest part of St Ives: Downalong, the fishing quarter. The town itself is a jumble of craft ships, Cornish pasties, gourmet restaurants, small galleries, fudge shops, surfing gear, fishing skiffs, pubs, sandpipers and gulls.
St Ives is easily accesible by rail or road from major cities including London. Should you prefer to arrive by train, the walk from the station to Piazza is ten minutes along the sea front. Should you choose not to cook, you can eat in a different excellent restaurant every night, but you may be tempted by the fishmonger around the corner with the morning's catch on sale for lunch!
Whatever your needs or desires, call us for a chat. We're full of suggestions gained from 20 years of our family using the flat for exam prep, convalescence, writing, escape from the children, holidays with the children, teenagers and grandchildren! We think the world is probably divided into two: those who know Porthmeor and the unfortunates who do not. |
