(from March 1998)

Click Oliver Cromwell (who once lived here) to go to contents list.

A personal view
by Philip Grosset

"Interesting, will be visiting my sister in St Ives in Sept this year." (Patrick Griffin, Adelaide, South Australia)

"Great!! It was fun to take a "Virtual Tour" through some of the areas I knew while growing up. Not much has changed in this part of town it seems." (Greg Beckum, Colorado Springs, USA)

"I think it is a wonderful and insightful site. I am going to St. Ives In June and did not know too much about the area...Now I know a little bit...Thank you." (Susan, Fort Knox, USA)

"I live in St. Ives. I use this site to show people our town.....it is excellent.....thank you....Much appreciated"
(David Potter, St Ives)

"Brilliant-a master piece. More pictures and a report on the hot spots to fish would be good." (Kevin Newman, Ferndale, Western Australia. Ex-St Ives resident)
I've added more photos (there are well over 70 now!). If anyone has suggestions for good fishing spots, please use my guest book to tell me about them. (PG)

"Absolutely amazing!! I was so thrilled to view this site.We have spent one week of each of our last eight holidays in St. Ives. We have enjoyed Slepe Hall as our home away from home - the food is great. If you stop in the Hall say hi to Jan and Colin Stampleton - great people." (Fred and Lola Smith, Boca Raton Florida)

"Like it very much. Trying to find others that might still live in St. Ives: Sandra Coles and Andrea Cobb. Is there a web site in the UK that I can try and locate these folks? Lived in St.Ives from 1969 - 1979. Went to the middle school on Ramsey Road and then St. Ivo School (Still have the patch from my uniform.) Lived at 36 Ramsey Road - opposite the Seven Wives Inn/Pub." (Astrid Wagoner (maiden name), California, USA. Email: copernicus7@hotmail.com.

"Good, it's fun to see others' opinions of the town, and how it might appear to visitors." (Eleanor, Hemingford Grey, near St Ives)

"Hi, I love the information you have put up..... we gave some friends in Ft Lauderdale a painting of the bridge and thay wanted to know a little more about the area...... you have obviously spent some time on this...." (Chris Jenkins Powell, Hemingford Grey)

"Lovely site. I was wondering if you could give me an address or tel. no. for B & B accommodation in St Ives. My son and I will be spending the night of 17th/18th August in St Ives while on a short cycling tour. Many thanks if you can help." (Jim Craig)
I don't know of a B & B in St Ives, but you could try The Heathcotes, 13 Stepping Stones, Hemingford Grey (tel 01480-465464) or Mrs S Rook, 38 High Street, Hemingford Grey (tel 01480-301203). The latter is more expensive but Commended in the Hunts "Where to Stay" guide. Both are non-smoking. I have no experience of either, so would be very grateful if you'd let me know how you get on! Other suggestions welcome... (PG)
"I ended up staying at the Willow Guest House at 45 High Street in Hemingford Grey. This proved a very good choice, and I'd happily recommend it to anyone looking for accommodation in the vicinity of St Ives. Thanks for your help and best wishes." (Jim Craig)

"Useful, easy to use, very interesting. I think that your site is the most comprehensive and readable site describing St. Ives and have taken the liberty of creating a hyperlink to it from my company's site for the benefit of our customers. Well done for an excellent site." (Lawrence Faulkner. Home: Colne, near Earith. Work: St. Ives, www.prism-electronics.com)

"Neat, it was a trip down memory lane, as I grew up in St Ives. I also found someone I knew here. I will come back again if I get homesick!!" (Sophie Cockcroft, Dunedin, New Zealand)

"Enjoyed photos, would have liked a lead to housing." (Val King, Bexleyheath. Kent)
Please see the list on my Estate Agents page. (PG)

"Brilliant ! Especially as you have included our link ! St.Ives Town Colts F.C." (Paul Lemons, St Ives)

"One of the most lovely places in the UK is just outside Cambridge, called St. Ives. To see what this historic village looks like, and to get an appreciation of the history associated with it, have a look at the St Ives in Cambridgeshire site. It might be worth booking a trip there on your next trip to the UK. " (From Mac McLellan's Mac's Picks of the Week, June 1998 . Auckland, New Zealand.)

Much as I like St Ives, I wouldn't really claim it as one of the most lovely places in the UK! It's just an attractive little town ....(PG)

"Philip Grosset has obviously spent hours poring over his Web page editor to prepare this comprehensive online account of the Cambridgeshire market town of St Ives. I can't criticise the content, because Philip has left no stone unturned in telling us about St Ives' history, attractions, location and people. But this is really a Web design contest, and there is lots more room for improvement in this area. For example, many of the pages are simply too long and drawn out - remember the rule that no page should take much longer than 30 seconds to fully appear on the screen. All the text is mysteriously centre-aligned, on every page - this makes it difficult to read. But Philip has chosen a well-matched colour scheme, and stuck to basically the same format throughout the site, and at least it looks tidy. With a little attention to details like text positioning and font size, this Web site - created using Adobe's PageMill software - could be a winner." (A review in Practical Internet magazine, issue 17, July 1998.)
I agree with the criticisms and have now made all the recommended changes! However, I'm afraid that as soon as the above review appeared, my St Ives pages completely disappeared from their original subnet.virtual-pc site - and I never could discover why! Perhaps they were accidentally deleted, or perhaps I exceeded the very limited space allowed. Anyway, I've now moved to another site, and would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused. (PG)

"Having visited St Ives yesterday to have our car serviced I decided to look for more information using UKplus. Very interesting. I wish we had looked before we came. We will be back before too long." (Pat Ashby, Roston, Herts).

"Excellent, except try to include a childrens section, what to see & do especially for the younger set, ie petting farms? Also I was looking for self-catering, did I miss that?" (John CN Spaulding, Felixstowe).
There's not much for children except for the St Ivo Recreation Centre (in Westwood Road) with its swimming pool and organised children's activities, a couple of playgrounds (Warner's Park and Slepe Hall Playing Field, Ramsey Road) and perhaps fishing. There's Wimpole Farm, of course, but it's a half hour drive away. Lakeside Lodge Golf Centre at Pidley has pitch & putt and 10 pin bowling as well as 3 main golf courses - juniors can play the main courses as well.  Also they have accommodation some of which is self catering. I do not know of any self-catering accomodation in St Ives itself, but for overnight accomodation details, contact the Tourist Information Centre, Princes Street, Huntingdon, Cambs PE18 6PH (tel. 01480 388588). If anyone can add to this information, please use my guest book to let me know... (PG)

"I thought this was a great site with a very good representation of the town. If you would not mind,I would like to ask you a few questions on living in the area. My wife and I will be moving to the RAF base at Alconbury and it looks like St Ives is pretty close to the base. If so, I would really appreciate some advice on living (i.e., how much houses rent for, etc...) in the area. Thanks."(Joe Suldo, Fort Worth, Texas).
I can only suggest you try the Tourist Information Centre in Huntingdon for addresses of house agents specialising in rentals. Its address and telephone number are in the second paragraph above. Alconbury is nearer to Huntingdon than to St Ives. (PG)

"Very informative..Made me very homesick..I lived there many years ago in the Nelson's Head." (Patricia Martakes, New Port Richey, Florida, USA).
My daughter says that the Nelson's Head (in Merryland) is one of the best pubs in St Ives. I prefer the Dolphin Hotel, especially if it's warm enough to sit outside by the river. (PG)

"Nice site. Have to disagree with your opinion of best pub though. The Nelson's Head and The Royal Oak are the two best. The Dolphin serves bad, overpriced drinks and the stories I've heard about what goes on behind the scenes....well. ( Paul Moseley, St Ives)

"Great. Lots of information. See also Gamlingay, another Cambridgeshire village on the web." (Roderick Starksfield, Gamlingay, Cambs.)

"I think it is excellent. Tasteful, informative and fun." (The Reverend Joel M. Ives, Priest on Bishop's staff, Saint Paul's Cathedral, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Boston, USA)

"Nice photographs, thought the text was a bit big!" (Paul Nicholas, Bridgend, Wales)
I've reduced the text size as suggested! (PG)

"It was great to see some pictures of home. Still, I wish there were more so that I could show my friends over here in U.S.A. where and what it is like in all seasons. Also I could give them a quick trip around the area so they could see my schools that I went to and a market day picture."(Tammy Squires. Mechanicsville,VA, USA).
I've added a page of market day photos! (PG)

"Not bad. Need some background ,other opinions because I am doing a A level project on "to what extent has population growth in St Ives been due to migration". If you have any info that you feel will aid me in this project please dont hesitate to email me. Your help and advice will be greatly apriciated. Thank you" ( Simon Knowles, St Ives)
What an appalling subject! How you can do a whole project on it beats me! Sorry I can't help! (PG)

"It is great. Just looking at the pictures has brought back many wonderful memories. My wife is from St Ives and we lived there 4 yrs before moving to Witerring. I really miss the place a lot. It is one of the most enjoyable places I have lived." (Wayne Hooper, Millbrook, Alabama USA)

"I love the great pictures. We used to live in Hilton, a village about 3 miles west of St. Ives.We have many fond memories of our years in England, and would love to return." ( James Shetler, Dallas, Texas, USA)

"Fabulous - have not been right through yet, what a mine of information. Even better than playing patience on the P.C! Any hope of getting rid of the Error Notice which appears with each page? Keep up the good work - hope it can be expanded over the years." (Dr Peter Greaves, Wyton, Huntingdon)
This error notice is a new one on me. Has anyone else experienced it? (PG)

"Very well designed - simple, effective and attractive without the complexity of frames. Well done!" (Andy Ibbotson, Huntingdon, member of St Ives RUFC, Old Bulls)

"I think it was fantastic!" (Kev, Kilmore, Australia)

"I love it. My wife is from Needingworth and we got married in Holywell-cum-Needingworth Church back in 1988. We brought our first born son, Martin, to the same church to be baptised into the Anglican faith even though we now live in Canada and have done for ten+ years. We both enjoy, my wife and I, a good look back home. Thank you, and keep up the great work." (Paul & Jane Freeman, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada)
Paul or Jane, if you see this, I've had a request for your email address (Sept 2003) (PG)

"As I have lived here for 36 years now, have one word to describe this website, BRILLIANT!!!!!!! So much info available, and also very up to date, keep up the good work. Have e-mailed the address to several people." (Dave Brown, Saint Ives, United Kingdom)

"This site is about St Ives, nothing more and nothing less. Despite a rather lacking design, the site does contain a lot of information that could be very handy to anybody who wants to know about St Ives. The lack of flashy bits does however make it very fast. If you want to know about St Ives then go there now! If you don't, well then this one isn't for you. Content: 15/20, Design: 5/20, Navigation: 10/20, Relevance: 10/10, Speed: 10/10, Experience: 10/20." (A Britstuff review by Tom Barrett, London)

"Very nice, I love the pictures, my only suggestion would be add more pictures. I love the local flavor." (Conman1, Indiana, USA)

"I signed this before I came over in June (Susan, Ft Knox, USA) and now I am back and living in St Ives with my boyfriend. I was wondering if there are any clubs or organizations for someone 30 yrs old around the area. I really love it here but finding it hard to make friends out here. I am not sure if it is because I am American or if I just haven't met the right people yet. Anyway, I love the improvements you have done to this site and have sent the link to all my friends and family in the USA and Germany so they can see what it is like where I am. Thank You...." (Susan, St Ives)
The St Ives library has a very extensive list of local clubs and organisations on its computer base, available for anyone to use, and there are posters and leaflets too. (PG)

"Excellent! All being well, we shall be moving to Hemingford Grey early in the new year and found your site when looking for general information on the area. We already know St. Ives fairly well, having spent some delightful holidays cruising on the Great Ouse, but your web pages have added new interest for us. Thanks and well done!" ( David Mercer, Watford, Hertfordshire)

"Haven't look at the complete site yet. Perhaps there are many more pictures pertaining to the area. Really enjoy them. I will have to return here after seeing everything. So far, I am anxious to see more pictures. Thanks." (Lou Ella Neel, Apple Valley, Ca, 92307, USA)

"I found the site really interesting. The pictures and the commentary were great. On my next trip to England I definitely plan to stop in St. Ives." (Robin Sanders, San Antonio, Texas, USA)

"Excellent site, I spent some months in the town from March1998 until June1998 and found it a pleasant place to stay. Just a bit too flat for my liking though." ( P. Jay, Auckland, NZ)

"Have any information about the old pubs in St.Ives? I believe my Great Grandad owned one called the Three Tons. It was knocked down in the Sixty's I'm told , it was located in East St. I would be very greatful for any information especially pictures. Thank you." ( Steve Johnstone)
According to the useful booklet called "The Pubs of St Ives" by Bob Burn-Murdoch, curator of the Norris Museum (from where it can be obtained price £2.95), The Three Tuns at no. 5, West Street is demolished, except for the remains of a wall. It closed down in 1959. There's more about this in a message on the next page.(PG)

"COPYRIGHT NOTICE. Congratulations on an excellent website on st.Ives. It no doubt serves the interests of those worldwide and closer to home of this historic town settlement. However, it should be noted that SharpeUK Ltd has obtained the exclusive rights from the Town Council and Business and Commerce department to develop and maintain: 'the best possible website on the town that serves the needs of the community and its businesses'. While the site is not scheduled to be developed until March 1999, we actually hold exclusive rights to such a page until November 7th 2004, and while we admire your committment to serving the town through your page, it will not be the towns community centre on the web. Thank you for the oppourtunity to clarify the situation. Yours faithfully FOR SHARPEUK LTD, Julian Baxter, Project Development Co-ordinator (SI99)"
This came in response to a letter I sent to the St Ives Town Centre Manager (who had been asking for general offers of help), offering him some experimental room on my site! But I have no ambition to be the town's community centre on the web. I much prefer just to give my own personal view of the place. But good luck to the official site that has now emerged. (PG)

"Enjoyed the site immensely....great pictures.....would like to see pictures of Huntingdon or Somersham....any correspondense would be appreciated....any new info about the area would also be appreciated....planning to visit next year....took some time to finally find your site.......hooked onto yahoo and received more info than aol...could spend hours reminiscing and looking at your pictures.......thanks for some great memories. I lived in Somersham about 30 years ago...we are now planning to return and visit some of the areas we saw then...St Ives is the closest location I can find on the internet to Somersham...enjoyed the pictures of the bridge and areas in St.Ives... I have a picture of myself on that bridge in 1970... we are looking forward to our visit sometime in 1999." ( Jan Schultz, Baltimore, USA)
I didn't succeed in replying to this, as the full email address was not included. There's a little bit about historical Somersham at: http://www.camcnty.gov.uk/library/somg.htm and there's a link to Somersham Baptist Church at the top of this page.

"I am trying to find out about an artist named Holloway who did an etching of the St.Ives bridge and landscape in 1886. If you have any information in this regard, send me an email please." (Bob Chieffo, Hyde Park, NY USA)
Michael Knight's "An Illustrated Checklist of Huntingdonshire Painters Working up to 1960" (which was kindly shown me by the curator of the Norris Museum, the most reliable source for all local history) has the following entry: " Charles Edward Holloway. 1838-1897. H. E. Norris (the local historian whose collection formed the basis of the Norris Museum) records that he took a photograph of the ribs of St Ives Bridge in 1886 at Holloway's request, since the artist wished to paint the bridge and was concerned to get the details correct. An etching of St Ives Bridge and the Quay, with the Quay peculiarly foreshortened, has appeared in SIS (the old St Ives Salerooms) on several occasions. His paintings of the Fens were exhibited at the Royal Academy. Also see the entry below, received in December 2001." (PG)

"I have a lot of information about Charles Holloway as he was my great grandfather's cousin. Also have a painting by him. I could write something up, but it may well be wasted if Bob Chieffo doesn't come back to your page. You might want to put up a one-liner with my name and e-mail address basically saying what I've said above and see if there is any response." (Richard Holloway, email: rh@calculus-international.com)

"I think this site is brilliant and I shall have to tell my friends about it, whenever I tell people where I am from they have never heard of it, you have certainly put it on the map! I have lived in St. Ives all my life (a whole 23 years!) and I think you have done a brilliant representation of it, I feel homesick now ( I am currently a postgraduate student in Aberystwyth!). Well done!" (Louise Ellis)

"I think it is great, I have made prints of all the photos, but would like to contact someone there in St. Ives, or Warboys that would make a local video for me, in exchange for one of New England. It's wonderful how we can visit THE WORLD, all because of a little computer chip. I was surfing, and through Yahoo, to England and to St. Ives. My Grandmother and her family were all baptized in Warboys, and I would love to hear from someone near there. I'm doing extensive research for my family, and would like local info about the immediate area, and cemetaries, and parishes from about 1877 backward. (Jim Wilson, Vernon, Connecticut, USA, at echodrive@snet.net)

"This sitewas great. I was stationed at RAF Alconbury for 2 years and had friends that lived in St Ives. We had so many good times and memories in this quaint little town. I plan in returning to England for a trip and this is one of the places I will be going." (Michael A. Lee, New Castle, Indiana, US)

"Great site. Plenty of pictures and information, reminds me of the
old days, growing up in St Ives! Looking forward to going back in 6 months time!" (Simon Crowell, Sydney, Australia)

"Really interesting site. I used to live in St Ives (1991-95) but have now moved to Sydney. I still own a house there however. I like to keep up-to-date with what's happening there. Hence anything you can do to expand the latest news section would be greatfully appreciated." (Mark Dougan, Sydney, Australia)
I try to include major items and keep them updated, but am afraid I can't rival the local press! However, I'll do what I can ....(PG)

"Interesting!" (Tarkis Vissaritis, Melbourne, Australia)

"I think this site has a very comprehensive range of pictures/views. Though there is still some nice landscape outside the town centre towards Somersham that could be included. Even some of the more urban parts would be nice. Over all though, very good! Are there many other sites on St.Ives? I haven't found any as yet." (R. Dear, St.Ives, Cambs.)
See the local websites page (PG)

"I live in St. Ives, and I think the photos and information were excellent. I found out quite a few things that even I didn't know! Great! Loads of info, and well designed." (Tom Jacques, St Ives)

"Help us get back to Slepe Hall Hotel!" (Steve Terry, Ogden, Utah, USA)

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