The Bell

The Bell

In 1889, Albert Swift wrote in his pamphlet Half a Century of Temperance Work in St Ives:

Half a century ago there were nearly if not quite a hundred public-houses in St Ives, while there are now only forty-eight, and some of these do very little business.

His figure of 48 is confirmed by Bob Burn-Murdoch in The Pubs of St Ives, but Swift's claim of 100 looks like an exaggeration. Bob counted 64, still remarkable for the time. As a staunch temperance advocate, Swift may have inflated the number to stress the movement's success.

Even 64 meant one pub for every 55 residents. By that measure, today's population would support over 300 pubs. We have just 17.

Albert Swift would have known the Bell, at 4 The Waits, St Ives, a striking three-storey building overlooking the backwater that, for most of it's 250 years, served drinkers and travellers alike.

But the Bell's story is more than bricks and beer. It's about the people who lived there, the bustling pubs of St Ives and the temperance movement that sought to close them.

Select from the choices below to read about the history of the Bell and its residents. Articles are written in the style of David Olusoga's BBC television programme A House Through Time.

SI100YA is grateful to Linda and Mark Haslett for their help in researching the articles about the Bell.

To view more articles about St Ives houses and their residents, click A House Through Time. To view more topics on the social history of St Ives, its residents and the surrounding area, click St Ives 100 Years Ago.