St Ives is situated on the shore of St Ives Bay, its harbour sheltered by Smeaton's pier. Close to the harbour, its streets are narrow and uneven while its wider streets are in the newer parts of the town on rising ground.
The town has four beaches: Porthmeor a surfing beach, Porthgwidden a small sandy cove, Harbour by the working port and Porthminster which has almost half a mile of sand. St Ives has an Oceanic climate and has some of the mildest winters and warmest summers in Britain and Northern Europe. It is therefore a popular tourist resort in the summer, and also benefits from an average of 1700-2000 hours of sunshine a year.
The Barbara Hepworth Museum and her sculpture garden are the responsibility of Tate St Ives. It was the wish of the late sculptor to leave her work on public display in perpetuity. The St Ives Museum has exhibits illustrating local history and culture, including mining, fishing, agriculture and domestic life.
'St. Ya'. She was believed to have been Irish and sister to both St. Euny and St. Ercius. She had hoped to arrive in Cornwall with St. Gwinear and his companions, but missed the boat and instead floated over on a leaf, arriving before they did.
