The Tate by Cornwall's Sea, Beside Hepworth's Studios

At a Glance

Tate St Ives opened June 1993 on the Cornish coast, doubled in 2017 by Jamie Fobert. It anchors the legacy of the St Ives School — Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Alfred Wallis, Peter Lanyon.

A Fishing Village of Abstraction

Nicholson and Hepworth moved in 1939; the 1950s brought Gabo, Lanyon, Heron, Hilton. Tate's 1993 museum on the old gasworks site formalised the town's art history.

Highlights

• Sea-facing semicircular window in the 1993 building.
• St Ives School permanent collection.
• 2017 Fobert extension — 1,200 m² of column-free gallery.
• Combined ticket with Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden.
• Porthmeor Studios walk.

Visiting Tips

5h30 train from Paddington via St Erth. £13; £15.50 combined. Plan an overnight — the town deserves it.