St Ives Museum
A volunteer-run museum of local life in the Downlong fishing quarter of St Ives, covering fishing, mining, the railway and the town's past across eight rooms.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
St Ives Museum was founded in 1924 by the St Ives Old Cornwall Society and began in a small space in the town's library. In 1968 it moved into its present home at Wheal Dream, beside the harbour in the old Downlong fishing quarter.
The building has a long working history. It started as a quarry that supplied stone for Smeaton's Pier in the 1760s. In the 1830s lime kilns were added, along with a cellar for curing pilchards. Bible Christians are said to have met there. Around 1900 the building was converted into the Island Laundry, and after the First World War it served as the first cinema in St Ives. Later the British Sailors' Society used the upper floor as a club for seamen, and the Troika Pottery occupied part of the ground floor before the museum took over the whole building.
Today the museum is run independently by volunteers. Its eight rooms on two floors hold collections on fishing, mining, boat building, the lifeboat, shipwrecks, farming, the railway and everyday life, and the original fish-curing cellar can still be seen. A temporary exhibition on the St Ives art colony is shown each season.
Highlights
- Eight rooms of local history across two floors
- Original fish-curing cellar in the old Wheal Dream building
- Displays on fishing, mining, shipwrecks, the lifeboat and the railway
- Reconstructed Cornish kitchen and parlour
- Run entirely by volunteers; under 16s enter free
Permanent exhibitions
- Fishing and fish curing – Displays on the St Ives fishing industry, including the original fish-curing cellar of the Wheal Dream building.
- Mining display – A gallery on the mining history of the area around St Ives.
- The Cornish Kitchen – A reconstructed Cornish kitchen and parlour showing domestic life in the past.
- Founded
- 1924
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £5 |
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| Children & teens | freefree up to age 15 · Under 16s are free. |
No concessions are offered. Card payments are accepted. Pop-up festival exhibitions in September are included in the admission price.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The entrance is up a flight of steps. A stairlift runs from the ground floor to the first floor, and a wheelchair is available at reception. The museum has no public toilet; the nearest are at Smeaton's Pier (about a 2-minute walk) and the Sloop Car Park (about 5 minutes).
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 15 |
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Under 16s enter free.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available · 5-min walk to the entrance
The Sloop Car Park is about a 5-minute walk away.
Follow the signs around the harbour front. The museum is 75 metres from Smeaton's Pier.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
There is no public toilet in the museum.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | A free digital guide is available through the museum website. School parties and other groups should preferably book in advance. A different exhibition on the St Ives art colony is shown each season, and pop-up exhibitions are held during the September festival. |
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