£900k award goes to St Ives studio
Porthmeor Studios in St Ives has beaten off competition from Ilfracombe in North Devon to win £900,000 in government funding.
The crumbling listed building on Back Lane West has been home to internationally-renowned artists and local fishermen for more than a century.
-
But the 200-year-old workspace is becoming increasingly fragile - with part of its timber front rotted through - and supporters have been crossing their fingers each time a storm lashes the exposed building.
Chris Hibbert, manager of the Borlase Smart John Wells Trust, which manages the fragile studios, said it was ‘excellent news’.
“This award is vital for the renovation project because Sea Change is a partnership of several major funding organisations, and so it will act as a catalyst to help secure the remaining funding.”
“Porthmeor is becoming increasingly fragile and every gale makes me anxious for its survival, so I am most grateful for this help.
“The money will be used to repair and renovate the eastern wing of the building and we expect builders to start work next summer.”
The cash is part of a £9 million pot from the ‘third wave’ of Sea Change funding awarded to coastal towns cultural and heritage projects.
St Ives joined six other projects around the country, from a £3.7 million amusement park renovation in Margate, to a £2 million transformation of a Victorian railway station in Tyneside.
The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), who lead the Sea Change partnership, said the beach-facing complex ‘epitomises the connection between the town, fishing industry and local artists’.
CABE Chief Executive Richard Simmons said: “These projects demonstrate how culture can be a catalyst to recapture the flair that these places enjoyed in their heyday.
“It is ambitious projects like this, creating new national attractions, that can rekindle the English love affair with our seaside.”
6 Comments
View all
by Laurie Hughes, St Ives
Tuesday, November 17 2009, 9:11AM
“I've been working and attending classes in these studios for 3 years. The tutors and staff, artists and models form a wonder full collective who have inspired, welcomed and challenged me in lots of ways. Some of the politics I don't like....what's new?!!.....The studios here, to me, are part of a rich history and ever-changing culture. I'm really glad they're being looked after. And I'm supportive of the people who dedicate much of their time and energy to keep this place alive....whether I agree with their views or not. Places where artists can come together to engage and facilitate positive change, I believe, are integral to flowering communication which promotes the power of creativity.....a much happier, productive route than any competitive industry. Well done, and thank you!”
by Johnny, swannee
Tuesday, November 17 2009, 12:19AM
“Ifracombe desperately needed that help I was there recently.......St Ives has enough”
by Rox, Ilfracombe
Monday, November 16 2009, 8:05PM
“Why on earth did these people believe a bunch of artists deserved the money more than developments in Ilfracombe which would enhance and benefit the whole town?
It wouldn't be so bad if modern art wasn't just a bunch of pretentious rubbish, with zero aesthetic merit.
True artists have long died out- Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, Michaelangelo etc. All we have nowadays to pass as art is a bunch of dirty bedlinen and pickled fish cobbled together by people who claim grants. Nice money if you can get it.”
by bert, n devon
Monday, November 16 2009, 3:26PM
“why did the owner of this building let it get into such a state when rent was being paid by the tenants”
by Neil Scott, St Ives
Monday, November 16 2009, 2:53PM
“This is excellent news for a unique and important aspect of St Ives' identity. The existing studios function on so many different levels - regardless of their historical context, they provide facilities for many working artists, for the School of Painting and as a unique partnership between fishermen and artists. However, they are in a very sorry state and this announcement is most welcomed.”