Bronze statue is planned to honour fishermen
A PLANNING application has been submitted to place an 8ft bronze statue in St Ives to honour the hundreds of fishing folk who have lived and worked in the town.
If approved the Mariners’ Memorial, designed by local sculptor Tom Leaper, will overlook St Ives Bay.
A huge fishing fleet once operated from the port, and to accommodate it a series of improvements were made to the harbour including the construction of Smeaton’s Pier in 1770. By 1844 St Ives was home to 400 pilchard boats employing 735 fishermen, with a further 100 engaged in other types of fishing.
It is hoped the memorial will be placed on the terrace known as The Castle at the end of Smeaton’s Pier, becoming a landmark destination in the town.
The St Ives Mariners’ Memorial Group was formed last year with the objective of constructing a memorial to celebrate the town’s maritime heritage. After months of preparation, consultation and the analysis of potential sites around the town, final designs have now been submitted to Cornwall Council’s planning department.
Mr Leaper, a member of the Penwith Society of Artists, initially produced a clay model to help the group visualise the sculpture and has now made a series of miniatures, which are being sold to raise funds for the full-sized memorial.
The memorial group said: “Our mission is to celebrate the heritage of the St Ives fishing community and those who lived and worked in St Ives and district, and still do, by erecting a bronze statue to honour them. The planned statue will be of two pilchard fishermen ‘tucking the net’ to bring a catch on board from a seine net.
“The memorial will inform and educate and reinvigorate a sense of community for local people, children and youths about their heritage. Planned activities will include educational tours, projects in education for history, written and artistic interpretations, music, song and dance.
“This will help to bring together those who may feel disenfranchised in the community of St Ives.”
The Cornwall Harbours Board, which owns the land, approved the statue project at its last meeting.
For more details see application number PA24/02363 on Cornwall Council’s planning portal.