The View Was Heavenly

If you are ever in St Ives, you must go on a walking tour of the village, and the walking tour must be led by Tony. He knows more about Cornwall than just about anyone else, and leads his groups confidently through the town, discussing: 

• the demise of the fishing and tin industries, 
• the tourist industry which replaced them, 
• the Church of England, 
• St Ia who brought Christianity to Cornwall from Ireland, 
• the Memorial Gardens with its lovely flowers, and the words "Lest We Forget" engraved in granite
• the very place where the ship "Alba" went down in a massive storm, 
• the fisherman's hut with the pot belly stove that still works and the sign on the wall that says, "No Swearing Allowed". (That hut is splendid. Old fisherman still visit it, and sit together recalling the dear dead fishing days gone by).

And after all of that, Tony will take you to the street outside the home of Alfred Wallis, the famous artist who happens to be Tony's own great-grandfather, who died in the workhouse. That bit was sad, but then Tony walked us all up to Barnoon Cemetery to see where Alfred was laid to rest. He died a pauper, but his grave (pictured here) was designed and covered by tiles made by Bernard Leach, known to be the most famous potter in England. And that was where our tour ended, which was a spectacular choice because the view from up there was heavenly. Which is exactly what a cemetery is meant to make us think about. 

It was entirely fitting.


See you along the way!
the SconeLady

The grave of Alfred Wallis, Barnoon Cemetery, St Ives

The view from Barnoon Cemetery