CHAPTER XII ST. IVES SOME years since, when the average man spoke of Cornwall he was thinking of St. Ives — and perhaps of Tintagel. These were the two places whose names had taken the public imagination, the one being typical of the Duchy's romance, the other of her everyday life. But in those days love of the picturesque had not quite overcome a dislike of fishy and other smells. Walter White frankly told his readers not to disenchant themselves by going into St. Ives ; he recommended admiring it from a distance. The town's name was familiar in popular songs, and it was known as a prosperous fishing-port. Then the artists arrived, and — per- haps more important still — a much improved rail- way service. At the present day the reputation of St. Ives is assured, yet it is certainly less popular as a holiday resort than some other places in Cornwall ; those who come here usually prefer the suburban district of Carbis Bay. Newquay has attained an easy supremacy in popularity ; Bude is following in its wake ; while South Cornwall has Looe and Fowey, the Lizard, Penzance, with numerous small coast-side hamlets for the delight of quieter guests. But St. Ives maintains its position as a typically Cornish town ; its past is 231
