Snippets

Snippets

Read below small pieces of information about St Ives of the past, not meaty enough for a full article. Click any of the links to read more fully about the topic.

A dangerous place!

St Ives residents seemed in regular danger. Here are a few examples.

Monday was a dangerous day, when the livestock market took place. In 1858, James & Harriet Rowell’s infant son Hector had a lucky escape. Less than 1 year old, he was safe in his nursemaid’s arms at the corner of Merryland. A passing cow ripped him from his place of safety as it escaped from the Broadway, one of over 12,000 livestock filling St Ives. Hector hung precariously from the cow’s horns, careering towards Bridge Street. The nursemaid saved the day (& her job), sprinting after the beast to rescue little Hector without harm.

In 1869, at Waldock’s foundry, the men were merrily melting down scrap iron, chucking it into the furnace. A rather unusual large round iron ball attracted attention, but not enough to prevent it from going into the flames with the rest. It was a bomb. The whole of St Ives heard the resultant explosion, with pieces of the metal casing flying all over town and some distance further. It’s a miracle no one was seriously hurt.

The Waits

A row of old thatched houses originally overlooked the Waits. Although still occupied, by 1868 they were in a dilapidated condition. That year, a fire razed them to the ground. Shortly after, the current houses were built.

Public baptisms

River baptisms took place in St Ives, sometimes watched by several hundred people. The ceremony was usually performed at the far end of The Quay using the slipway, although there is one instance by the mill on the opposite side of the river. In 1859, fourteen people were baptised. Another two were baptised in 1866.

Street names
When were street names first displayed in St Ives? In 1867. Prior to that date, names were somewhat random. East Street & West Street were called Back Street, or more commonly, Backside. Four streets were called Cromwell Place, and five were called Water Lane. No surprise much confusion arose.

In 1867, the Improvement Commissioners erected zinc nameplates around the town. This fixed the street names as we know them today, and proved a boon conferred on the townspeople in general.

You can still see many of these original 156 year old zinc nameplates (there are later ones too). Here’s a list of the original nameplates still in situ starting from the far end of The Waits. If you see any more, please Get in touch.

The Waits (x2), St George’s Road, The Broadway, Bridge Street, The Quay, Market Lane, Priory Road, Cromwell Place, East Street (x3), Crown Place, Crown Walk, Cow and Hare Passage (x2), Crown Yard, West Street (x2), George Yard, Church Place.

A troublesome triangle of land

Next time you’re wandering down Bridge Street, as you come to St Ives bridge look to your right at a small triangle of land outside the River Terrace tearooms. In 1906, a dispute arose which divided the town and almost resulted in a fight between Horatio Wadsworth and his employees, and George Day, the Town Clerk, and his men. 

Horatio had taken over running J Wadsworth, then in the Manor House at 1 Bridge Street and a purveyor of aerated waters and bottled beers. The business continues today, over 150 years later, in the Broadway.

Better access to St Ives bridge might be needed in the future. If so, the land under dispute would be very valuable. Horatio was determined to establish ownership of the triangle of land outside his shop.  So much so, he spent a considerable amount defending his position when St Ives Town Council took the case all the way to the High Court of Justice on London. For four days the court examined the facts, revealing some interesting history.

Horatio lost the case. Two years later he died unexpectedly of a heart attack, aged 49 years.