St Ives, Cambridgeshire
The town of St Ives owes its importance to its position on the meandering River Great Ouse, one of the country’s longest navigable rivers, where it has long been both a river port and a river crossing. The unusual Bridge and Chapel of St Leger, built midstream, is the most famous landmark of St Ives and is one of only four surviving bridge chapels in England, attracting many visitors to the town. One of the prettiest parts of St Ives is found between the quay and Market Hill, where there is a maze of little lanes and alleyways, typical of an old market town. Designated as a Conservation Area in 1972, it is a pleasant environment for the pedestrian to wander through. The buildings on the quay are mainly of the 18th century and include the former Chequer Public House, which derived its name from the brickwork of the first floor. Oliver Cromwell moved from Huntingdon to take up the tenancy of a smallholding in St Ives and he remained here for five years. The most tangible reminder of Cromwell’s residence in the town is a bronze statue of him in Market Hill, which was erected in 1901.
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