The sculpture garden
Some twenty bronzes and stones among sub-tropical planting, laid out to Hepworth's own plan.
Tom Parnell — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Tom Parnell — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Esther Westerveld — CC BY 2.0 · Tim Regan — CC BY 2.0
Behind a high wall in the middle of St Ives, in a garden no bigger than a suburban back yard, some twenty bronzes and carved stones stand among palms and bamboo exactly where Barbara Hepworth placed them half a century ago. This is Trewyn Studio, where the sculptor lived and worked from 1949 until she died here in a fire in 1975. It is not a museum built around her work afterwards; it is her house and workshop, left as they were. The workshop is the most truthful part of the visit: chisels and mallets on their hooks, her overalls, blocks of stone she never finished, kept behind glass at the moment the clock stopped. Then you step into the garden, which is the real reason to come: the famous pierced forms, and Atlantic light that changes their colour by the hour. Her family opened the museum in 1976 as her will instructed, and Tate has run it since 1980. It is far smaller than its reputation suggests: forty-five minutes to an hour is plenty, and there is no cafe. A plain word for families: getting here means a steep lane, and inside there are steps and uneven ground. Pushchairs do not work, only manual wheelchairs can come in and only by prior arrangement, and mobility scooters are not allowed. Small children lose interest fast unless the garden itself charms them; anyone who cares about modern art will find something no big gallery can give, the quiet of a place where work was actually made. In August the garden feels crowded and booking ahead is sensible; it opens daily all year, but the winter afternoon is short and the garden is then at its least lush. Getting there: St Ives sits at the far western end of Cornwall, about 45 minutes' drive from Truro or Newquay and roughly 25 from Penzance. Do not try to drive into the town centre: the streets are narrow, parking is scarce and the museum has no car park of its own. Park at Trenwith at the top of town and walk down for a few minutes, or take the short branch line from St Erth (about a quarter of an hour, one of Britain's prettiest stretches of railway) and walk about ten minutes uphill from the station. Tate St Ives is five minutes' walk away but ticketed separately.
Some twenty bronzes and stones among sub-tropical planting, laid out to Hepworth's own plan.
Her tools, overalls and unfinished carvings behind glass, as if she had just stepped out.
The quarter-hour ride from St Erth along the bay is the best way in, and spares you the parking hunt.
Barnoon Hill, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1AD
If modern art matters to you, yes: the two complement each other and are five minutes apart on foot, though each needs its own ticket. If you have one hour and children in tow, choose the Tate, which has a cafe, baby-changing facilities and a sea view, and skip this without regret.
Honestly, no. The approach is a steep lane, the interior is steps and uneven ground, and pushchairs cannot come in. Children of ten and up may be caught by the pierced sculptures and the garden; younger ones will prefer nearby Porthminster beach.