Renovation Plans
Prolonged exposure to the harsh marine environment has taken its toll on the building – it is now extremely fragile and in urgent need of major repairs. The slate roof in particular is causing great concern and more holes appear with every gale.
Funding from the Arts Lottery Programme has enabled award winning architects, Long & Kentish, to design a scheme to repair and renovate the building sympathetically without significantly altering its unique character. English Heritage described the project as “an exemplary demonstration of how a high quality contemporary solution can unlock the potential of a complex historic site”. Planning permission for this Grade II* listed building was granted in April 2008.
Click to download the architect’s report which provides a fascinating account of the project.
‘Porthmeor Studios have the appeal of the survivor but it goes much deeper than their historic significance, compared with the neat grid of the adjacent flats, the studios seem more like a stranded whale - an organic evolution than a design. The diaphanous skin of Delabole slate heaves above the huge volumes within, and shines like fish scales on a rainy day. It is truly a privilege to be able to join in trying to keep them going, filled with artists and fishermen, for the foreseeable future.’ – M J Long
The main aims of the renovation plans are to:
- Provide high quality affordable, accessible workspace for fishermen and artists within a community where suitable space is becoming scarce, and offer a broader positive economic impact for the town that has significant lasting value.
- Provide a programme of activities, workshops and lectures for the local community and visitors, covering both fishing heritage and the arts.
- Support artists at all stages of their careers by offering professional development, business and marketing advice.
- Develop a programme of artist exchanges, residencies for emerging and established artists and spaces for artists at the start of their careers.
- Establish Porthmeor as a hub of creative excellence, placing the studios at the heart of the visual arts in Cornwall and connecting to other national and international centres of art.
'Nothing matters more to a fisherman than having a decent dry space, and for an artist good daylight, in which to work. The project to renovate the Porthmeor building is an imaginative scheme that will help to ensure that the essential character of St Ives is preserved as a creative and fishing community' – Nicholas Serota Director Tate
Funding Needs
The total costs of this renovation project are £4.1 million. Arts Council England has allocated £1.2 million, with further funding secured from the Sea Change Programme (£900k), English Heritage (£100k), Cornwall Council (£50k) and Smart Regeneration (£50k). Discussions are now taking place with other public funders which the Trust hopes will bring in a further £1.5 million, leaving a funding gap of £400k still to find.
The community of St Ives is united is its support for the project and has formed the Smart Regeneration Fund with a target of raising £100,000. To date the Fund stands at £45,000, half of which has been raised by the current tenants of the building, and Anthony Frost has created a stunning lithograph in support of this appeal (click here for more details).
Latest News
The funding awards announced just before Christmas 2009 have allowed work to start on Phase 1 of the project, which will renovate two fishermen’s cellars, two artist’s studios, two studios for the St Ives School of Painting, and two studios for community and education use. This work is mainly funded by Sea Change and Arts Council England, and is jointly managed by the Trust and Cornwall Council.
The architects are working on the detailed designs, and the project will be ready to go out to tender during the summer. Construction on Phase 1 will start in October 2010, and completed in early summer 2011. It is most important to raise the remaining funding for this project as soon as possible so that the contractor can move straight on to Phase 2, and the Trust is now in discussions with funders in order to achieve this.
If you would like to help in any way to save this unique and important building, please contact:
Chris Hibbert, Trust Manager
Borlase Smart John Wells Trust
Garden Cottage
Trebah
Mawnan Smith
Falmouth
Cornwall TR11 5JZ
Tel: 01326 252203
Email: admin@bsjwtrust.co.uk
"The Porthmeor studios are not only fundamental to the artistic community of St Ives but also of enormous historic importance to the Town. It is essential that their future is safeguarded and they are available to future generations. It is reassuring to know that the Town of St Ives and the Local Authorities are totally committed to this project" – Sir Richard Carew-Pole
