St Ives, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
St Ives is a market town
in Cambridgeshire
, England
, around 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) north-west of the city of Cambridge
and 110 kilometres (68.4 mi) north of London
. It lies within the historic county boundaries
of Huntingdonshire
.
bishop
, of Saint Ivo
(not to be confused with Ivo of Kermartin
), was found buried in the town in about 1001/2. For the past 1,000 years it has been home to some of the biggest markets in the country, and in the thirteenth century it was an important entrepôt
, and remains an important market in East Anglia
.
Built on the banks of the wide River Great Ouse
between Huntingdon
and Ely
, St Ives has a famous chapel on its bridge
. In the Anglo-Saxon
era, St Ives's position on the river Great Ouse was strategic, as it controlled the last natural crossing point or ford on the river, 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) from the sea. The flint reef in the bed of the river at this point gave rise to a ford, which then provided the foundations for the celebrated bridge.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, St Ives was a hub of trade and navigation. Goods were brought into the town on barge
s, and livestock rested on the last fattening grounds before delivery to London's Smithfield Market. As the railway network expanded and roads improved, the use of the River Great Ouse declined. It is now mostly used for leisure boats and recreation.
The river Great Ouse at St Ives flooded in 1947, and some parts suffered seriously again at Easter 1998 and in January 2003. Extensive flood protection works were carried out on both sides of the river in 2006/2007 at a cost of nearly £9 million. 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) of brick-clad steel-piling was put into place to protect the town, most noticeably at the Waits where a pleasing plaza has also been created. A further 750 metres (2,460.6 ft) on the other side of the river protects Hemingford Grey
, reducing the yearly risk of flooding from 10% to 1%. Building on the flood plain at St Ives is now discouraged.
Original historical documents relating to St Ives, including the original parish church
registers, local government records, maps and photographs, are held by Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies
at the County Record Office in Huntingdon
.
s in May and August. There is a Friday market, and a Farmers Market on the first and third Saturday every month. The Michaelmas
Fair
takes over for 3 days on the second Monday in October, and there is a Carnival
http://www.stives-town.info/events/2006_st_ives_carnival_parade.htm and http://www.st-ives.info/fun/Carnival/, the biggest public gathering in Huntingdonshire
.
As an important market town, St Ives always needed large numbers of pubs, 64 in 1838 (1 for every 55 inhabitants), 60 in 1861, 48 in 1865 and 45 in 1899 (though only 5 of these made the owners living). However, as livestock sales diminished, so did the need for large numbers of pubs, falling to a low point of 16 in 1962. In that year the "Seven Wives" on Ramsey Road was opened and, with some openings and closings since, there are 17 today. The oldest (in the sense of there having been one on the same site, with the same name) is the Dolphin, over 400 years old. Next oldest comes the White Hart, which is pre-1720. The Nelsons Head and Golden Lion are at least this old too, but they've not kept the same name and used to be called the Three Tuns and the Red Lion respectively. The existence of pubs on the site of the Robin Hood goes back at least as far too, except that it used to be two pubs back then — the Angel and the Swan.
The claim of the Royal Oak to date from 1502 cannot be proven since, while a portion at the back is 17th century (making it physically the oldest portion of any pub in St Ives), the pub name has to be more recent. The reference is to Charles II
's famous escape from Cromwell
's Roundheads, and Charles was restored to the throne in 1660. This side of St Ives' character still thrives, with many restaurant
s and two nightclub
s.
, the most striking of only five examples in England. Also unusual are its two southern arches which are a different shape from the rest of the bridge, being rounded instead of slightly gothic
. They were rebuilt this way after Oliver Cromwell
blew them up in the English Civil War
to prevent King Charles I's
troops approaching London from the Royalist
base in Lincolnshire
. During the war and for some period afterwards, the gap was covered by a drawbridge
. The town square contains one of the four statue
s of Cromwell on public display in Britain, the others being in Parliament Square
, outside Wythenshawe Hall
and in Warrington
.
, rappelling and the mooring of a small narrowboat. In November 1995, the island was the locus of a significant law-suit and a break-away Scouting Association was prevented from using and developing a claim to it.
, fed by the river, is in the middle of Holt Island and is now used for canoeing
practice and other activities. St Ives also has a Rugby
club on Somersham Road. and a football club, St Ives Rangers. The St Ives Rowing Club was once captained by John Goldie
and has had a number of members who have competed at Olympic and Commonwealth championships.
There is an active swimming club. New members are always welcome, from age 4½ upwards, whatever their swimming ability and can be slotted into (and trained up to) teaching groups, a pre-competitive group, development squads or senior/competitive squads http://www.stivesswimclub.co.uk
St Ives has a main secondary school
, St Ivo School
. Eastfield nursery and infant school, Westfield Junior school and two primary schools Thorndown, Wheatfields.
and an Islamic Community Centre, a Roman Catholic church and the Church of England
All Saints church.
All Saints Church (Church of England) on Church Street has been in the town since 970. The second oldest church building, which dominates the town's market place, is The Free Church (United Reformed). The church was built in 1864, but was modernised in 1980, moving the worship area upstairs. The Church of the Sacred Heart
(Roman Catholic) on Needingworth Road is a Pugin
design moved from Cambridge and opened in 1902, the hall at the back was added c.2001. The current Methodist Church http://www.stivesmethodistchurch.org.uk on The Waits opened in 1905. Crossways Church (Assembly of God) meet at Crossways Christian Centre on Ramsey Road. St Ives Christian Fellowship (Partnership) meet at Thorndown Junior School on Hill Rise. The Bridge Church (New Frontiers) meet at Westfield Junior School on Ramsey Road. St Ives Evangelical Christian Church (Independent) meet at the Burleigh Hill Community Centre, off Constable Road.
s. The lanes along the north side of town are believed to follow the layout of the narrow medieval fields, and are slightly S-shaped because of the way ploughs turned at each end. Similar field boundaries can be seen in Warners Park.
on the outskirts of Cambridge
. along the route of the disused railway line. The same buses continue into the centre of Cambridge along regular roads in one direction and continue to Huntingdon
in the other direction. A shorter section of the same busway system will operate from the railway station
on the far side of Cambridge to Addenbrooke's Hospital
and Trumpington
. The scheme, budgeted at £116.2 million, is now scheduled to open in 'summer 2011'. The length of time that it has taken to construct the busway has drawn the ire of many local residents, who feel it is a huge waste of taxpayers money, after company bosses admitted it would only shave eight minutes off the standard A14 bus journey time. Furthermore, the busway has been beset with problems, causing the delays; cracks appearing in the structure allowing weeds to grow through being one of the examples, and constractors BAM Nuttall are being fined a significant amount of money for each day that the busway completion date is not met.
The St Ives Park & Ride on Meadow Lane is part of the scheme and will open at the same time. A "Green Update" newsletter came out in Winter 2007 with news on conservation work including protection of the Great Crested Newt.
, to the port of Felixstowe
and hence to the mainland of Europe
This 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) section of road also links the northern end of the M11 (Cambridge
and region) to the M1 and the whole of the North of England and Scotland
. A new by-pass is planned for St Ives and Huntingdon
, leaving the existing alignment near Swavesey
and passing to the south of both market towns. A northern bypass has been under discussion for even longer but is not anticipated any time soon.
and Huntingdon
are frequent (up to every 20 minutes) during the day, though less frequent in the evenings. There's also buses to Somersham/Chatteris, Ramsey and Cambourne.
Between 1847 and 1970 the town was served by St Ives railway station
on the Cambridge and Huntingdon railway
. The line and station almost survived the 1963 to 1973 Beeching Axe
, but were lost to passenger service in the final stages of the process. Some sections continued to be used for freight until 1993.
, the man with seven wives, each with seven sacks containing seven cats etc. may have been on his way to (or coming from) the Great Fair
at St Ives.
The "Seven Wives" pub itself is on Ramsey Road, where it runs to the north of the town centre. However, this is a modern pub with no connection to the ancient rhyme other than the name.
The famous war poet Rupert Brooke
lived at Grantchester
some 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) away in the same county
. In his famous poem "The Old Vicarage, Grantchester
" he heaped praise on his own village, while writing quite unflattering things about the shire town Cambridge
, and other villages around. Of St Ives he said
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, around 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) north-west of the city of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and 110 kilometres (68.4 mi) north of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It lies within the historic county boundaries
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
.
History
Previously called Slepe, its name was changed to St Ives after the body, claimed to be that of a PersianPersian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, of Saint Ivo
Ivo of Huntingdonshire
Saint Ivo was a Cornish bishop and hermit, and became the eponymous saint of St Ives, Huntingdonshire. He appears in the historical sources in 1001/2 when a peasant allegedly found his coffin while ploughing at Slepe...
(not to be confused with Ivo of Kermartin
Ivo of Kermartin
Saint Ivo of Kermartin , also known Yvo or Ives, as Erwann and as Yves Hélory , was a parish priest among the poor of Louannec, the only one of his station to be canonized in the Middle Ages. He is the patron of Brittany, lawyers, and abandoned children. His feast day is May 19...
), was found buried in the town in about 1001/2. For the past 1,000 years it has been home to some of the biggest markets in the country, and in the thirteenth century it was an important entrepôt
Entrepôt
An entrepôt is a trading post where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties, often at a profit. This profit is possible because of trade conditions, for example, the reluctance of ships to travel the entire length of a long trading route, and selling to the entrepôt...
, and remains an important market in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
.
Built on the banks of the wide River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
between Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
and Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
, St Ives has a famous chapel on its bridge
St Ives Bridge
St Ives Bridge is a 15th century bridge crossing the River Great Ouse in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, England. It noted for being one of only four bridges in England to incorporate a chapel ....
. In the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
era, St Ives's position on the river Great Ouse was strategic, as it controlled the last natural crossing point or ford on the river, 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) from the sea. The flint reef in the bed of the river at this point gave rise to a ford, which then provided the foundations for the celebrated bridge.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, St Ives was a hub of trade and navigation. Goods were brought into the town on barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s, and livestock rested on the last fattening grounds before delivery to London's Smithfield Market. As the railway network expanded and roads improved, the use of the River Great Ouse declined. It is now mostly used for leisure boats and recreation.
The river Great Ouse at St Ives flooded in 1947, and some parts suffered seriously again at Easter 1998 and in January 2003. Extensive flood protection works were carried out on both sides of the river in 2006/2007 at a cost of nearly £9 million. 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) of brick-clad steel-piling was put into place to protect the town, most noticeably at the Waits where a pleasing plaza has also been created. A further 750 metres (2,460.6 ft) on the other side of the river protects Hemingford Grey
Hemingford Grey
- Location:It is situated on the southern bank of the River Great Ouse in the county of Cambridgeshire, with the northern bank occupied by the flood meadow. Until 1965 it was in Huntingdonshire and between 1965 and 1974 it was in the short-lived county of Huntingdon and Peterborough...
, reducing the yearly risk of flooding from 10% to 1%. Building on the flood plain at St Ives is now discouraged.
Original historical documents relating to St Ives, including the original parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
registers, local government records, maps and photographs, are held by Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies
Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies
Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies Service is a UK local government institution which collects and preserves archives, other historical documents and printed material relating to the modern county of Cambridgeshire, which includes the former counties of Huntingdonshire and the Isle of Ely...
at the County Record Office in Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
.
Economy
The Monday market takes over the town centre, and is larger in scale on Bank HolidayBank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
s in May and August. There is a Friday market, and a Farmers Market on the first and third Saturday every month. The Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
Fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
takes over for 3 days on the second Monday in October, and there is a Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
http://www.stives-town.info/events/2006_st_ives_carnival_parade.htm and http://www.st-ives.info/fun/Carnival/, the biggest public gathering in Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
.
The claim of the Royal Oak to date from 1502 cannot be proven since, while a portion at the back is 17th century (making it physically the oldest portion of any pub in St Ives), the pub name has to be more recent. The reference is to Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
's famous escape from Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's Roundheads, and Charles was restored to the throne in 1660. This side of St Ives' character still thrives, with many restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s and two nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s.
Landmarks
St Ives Bridge
St Ives Bridge is most unusual in incorporating a chapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, the most striking of only five examples in England. Also unusual are its two southern arches which are a different shape from the rest of the bridge, being rounded instead of slightly gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
. They were rebuilt this way after Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
blew them up in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
to prevent King Charles I's
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
troops approaching London from the Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
base in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. During the war and for some period afterwards, the gap was covered by a drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
. The town square contains one of the four statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
s of Cromwell on public display in Britain, the others being in Parliament Square
Parliament Square
Parliament Square is a square outside the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in London. It features a large open green area in the middle, with a group of trees to its west. It contains statues of famous statesmen and is the scene of rallies and protests, as well as being a tourist...
, outside Wythenshawe Hall
Wythenshawe Hall
Wythenshawe Hall is a 16th-century medieval timber-framed historic house and former stately home in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England. It is east of Altrincham and south of Stretford, five miles south of Manchester city centre, in Wythenshawe Park.-History:The half-timbered Tudor house was the home...
and in Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
.
Corn Exchange
The Grade II listed St Ives Corn Exchange was built in the centre of town in 1858, and is hence the same age as Stanley House, now home to the Town Council. In 2001, serious structural problems were discovered and the Corn Exchange was closed on safety grounds. Plans to dispose of the building were fought by an action group called "Action Corn Exchange". The hall was saved and re-opened in the latter part of 2010.Holt Island
The eastern or town end of Holt Island is nature reserve and the western end, opposite the parish church, is a facility for the Scouts. The scout portion contains what was, before the opening of the Leisure Centre, the town's outdoor town swimming pool. The pool was dug in 1913 and closed to the public in 1949. It is now used by the scouts for canoeingCanoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
, rappelling and the mooring of a small narrowboat. In November 1995, the island was the locus of a significant law-suit and a break-away Scouting Association was prevented from using and developing a claim to it.
Culture
The Norris Museum holds a deal of local history, including a number of books written by its curator, Bob Burn-Murdoch.Sports
There is an indoor recreation centre adjacent to the Burgess Hall and an outdoor recreation centre at the top end of the town. Both have football grounds, and the Colts also play football in Warners Park over the winter. The original swimming poolSwimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, fed by the river, is in the middle of Holt Island and is now used for canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
practice and other activities. St Ives also has a Rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club on Somersham Road. and a football club, St Ives Rangers. The St Ives Rowing Club was once captained by John Goldie
John Goldie
John Haviland Dashwood Goldie was an English rower, and barrister. He was the Cambridge University Boat Club President between 1870 and 1872, won the Colquhoun Sculls in 1870 and captained Leander Club between 1873 and 1876.Goldie was the son of Rev. Charles Dashwood Goldie, vicar of St Ives,...
and has had a number of members who have competed at Olympic and Commonwealth championships.
There is an active swimming club. New members are always welcome, from age 4½ upwards, whatever their swimming ability and can be slotted into (and trained up to) teaching groups, a pre-competitive group, development squads or senior/competitive squads http://www.stivesswimclub.co.uk
Education
St Ives has a main secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, St Ivo School
St Ivo School
St Ivo School is a secondary school in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire.-Awards:ICT MARK - this award shows that St Ivo is at the forefront of using information and communication technology to enhance teaching and learning. The new quality mark recognises schools who can demonstrate they use ICT to...
. Eastfield nursery and infant school, Westfield Junior school and two primary schools Thorndown, Wheatfields.
Churches
There are ten places of worship, including a mosqueMosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
and an Islamic Community Centre, a Roman Catholic church and the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
All Saints church.
All Saints Church (Church of England) on Church Street has been in the town since 970. The second oldest church building, which dominates the town's market place, is The Free Church (United Reformed). The church was built in 1864, but was modernised in 1980, moving the worship area upstairs. The Church of the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart Church, St Ives
Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic church that serves as the parish church of St Ives, Cambridgeshire. It was originally designed and built by Augustus Pugin in Cambridge as St Andrew's Church, but was dismantled in 1902 and transported by barge to St Ives.-History:By the end of the 19th...
(Roman Catholic) on Needingworth Road is a Pugin
Pugin
Pugin most commonly refers to Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin , English architect and designer.Other members of his family include:...
design moved from Cambridge and opened in 1902, the hall at the back was added c.2001. The current Methodist Church http://www.stivesmethodistchurch.org.uk on The Waits opened in 1905. Crossways Church (Assembly of God) meet at Crossways Christian Centre on Ramsey Road. St Ives Christian Fellowship (Partnership) meet at Thorndown Junior School on Hill Rise. The Bridge Church (New Frontiers) meet at Westfield Junior School on Ramsey Road. St Ives Evangelical Christian Church (Independent) meet at the Burleigh Hill Community Centre, off Constable Road.
Geography
St Ives experienced town planning at a very early date, giving it a spacious Town Centre. Portions of this open space between Merryland and Crown Street were lost to market stalls that turned into permanent buildings. Some of the shops in the town centre are still to the same layout as in Medieval times, one rod in width, the standard length for floor and roof joistJoist
A joist, in architecture and engineering, is one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof, or floor. It may be made of wood, steel, or concrete. Typically, a beam is bigger than, and is thus distinguished from, a joist...
s. The lanes along the north side of town are believed to follow the layout of the narrow medieval fields, and are slightly S-shaped because of the way ploughs turned at each end. Similar field boundaries can be seen in Warners Park.
2009 Guided Busway
The major section of the world's longest guided busway, using all new construction techniques and technology, will connect St Ives directly to Cambridge Science ParkCambridge Science Park
The Cambridge Science Park, founded by Trinity College in 1970, is the oldest science park in the United Kingdom. It is a concentration of science and technology related businesses, and has strong links with the nearby University of Cambridge....
on the outskirts of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. along the route of the disused railway line. The same buses continue into the centre of Cambridge along regular roads in one direction and continue to Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
in the other direction. A shorter section of the same busway system will operate from the railway station
Cambridge railway station
Cambridge railway station is a railway station serving the city of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located at the end of Station Road, off Hills Road, 1 mile south-east of the city centre...
on the far side of Cambridge to Addenbrooke's Hospital
Addenbrooke's Hospital
Addenbrooke's Hospital is an internationally renowned teaching hospital in Cambridge, England, with strong links to the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1766 on Trumpington Street with £4,500 from the will of Dr John Addenbrooke, a fellow of St Catharine's College...
and Trumpington
Trumpington, Cambridgeshire
Trumpington is a village within the city of Cambridge, UK, of which it is a suburb. It is located on the south-west side of the city and borders Cherry Hinton to the east, Grantchester to the west and Great Shelford and Little Shelford to the south-east....
. The scheme, budgeted at £116.2 million, is now scheduled to open in 'summer 2011'. The length of time that it has taken to construct the busway has drawn the ire of many local residents, who feel it is a huge waste of taxpayers money, after company bosses admitted it would only shave eight minutes off the standard A14 bus journey time. Furthermore, the busway has been beset with problems, causing the delays; cracks appearing in the structure allowing weeds to grow through being one of the examples, and constractors BAM Nuttall are being fined a significant amount of money for each day that the busway completion date is not met.
The St Ives Park & Ride on Meadow Lane is part of the scheme and will open at the same time. A "Green Update" newsletter came out in Winter 2007 with news on conservation work including protection of the Great Crested Newt.
Road
St Ives is just off the A14 road on a particularly congested section of the route from the UK's second city, BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, to the port of Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
and hence to the mainland of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
This 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) section of road also links the northern end of the M11 (Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and region) to the M1 and the whole of the North of England and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. A new by-pass is planned for St Ives and Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
, leaving the existing alignment near Swavesey
Swavesey
Swavesey is a village lying on the Greenwich Meridian in Cambridgeshire, England, with an approximate population of 2,480. The village is situated 9 miles to the north west of Cambridge and 3 miles south east of St...
and passing to the south of both market towns. A northern bypass has been under discussion for even longer but is not anticipated any time soon.
Public transport
Bus services are provided by Stagecoach in Huntingdonshire and Whippet coaches, the former also having its depot near the town. Services to CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
are frequent (up to every 20 minutes) during the day, though less frequent in the evenings. There's also buses to Somersham/Chatteris, Ramsey and Cambourne.
Between 1847 and 1970 the town was served by St Ives railway station
St Ives railway station (Great Eastern)
St Ives railway station is a former railway station in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. It formed a junction, with lines to the east heading towards Cambridge, Ely and March. It closed in 1970.-External links:* *...
on the Cambridge and Huntingdon railway
Cambridge and Huntingdon railway
The Cambridge & St. Ives Branch was a railway built by the Wisbech, St Ives & Cambridge Junction Railway in the late 1840s. The railway ran from Cambridge in the south, through Fenland countryside to the market town of St...
. The line and station almost survived the 1963 to 1973 Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, but were lost to passenger service in the final stages of the process. Some sections continued to be used for freight until 1993.
Cycling
St Ives is excellent for cycling, both in town and on both sides of the river to Huntingdon. The Guided Busway (now due to open spring of 2011) comes with a cycle way providing an almost flat, straight route direct to Cambridge.Popular culture
The name "St Ives" is world-famous partly because of the anonymous nursery rhyme/riddle "As I was going to St Ives". While sometimes claimed to be St Ives, CornwallSt Ives, Cornwall
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...
, the man with seven wives, each with seven sacks containing seven cats etc. may have been on his way to (or coming from) the Great Fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
at St Ives.
The "Seven Wives" pub itself is on Ramsey Road, where it runs to the north of the town centre. However, this is a modern pub with no connection to the ancient rhyme other than the name.
The famous war poet Rupert Brooke
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier...
lived at Grantchester
Grantchester
Grantchester is a village on the River Cam or Granta in Cambridgeshire, England. It is listed in the Domesday Book as Grantesete and Grauntsethe...
some 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) away in the same county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
. In his famous poem "The Old Vicarage, Grantchester
Old Vicarage, Grantchester
The Old Vicarage in the Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester is a house associated with the poet Rupert Brooke, who lived nearby and in 1912 immortalised it in an eponymous poem....
" he heaped praise on his own village, while writing quite unflattering things about the shire town Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, and other villages around. Of St Ives he said