The House
A pilchard cellar, now pouring ale
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the pilchard kept St Ives going. When a shoal came into the bay, the huer shouted from the hill and the boats went out to ring the fish with their nets. The catch came up from the quay to cellars like this one, where it was salted, packed head-in into barrels and pressed. The oil lit the town's lamps and the fish went by ship to Italy.
By the early 1900s the shoals had moved away from the coast. The cellar stayed, a Grade II listed 19th-century building with its stone walls, beams and floorboards intact. In 2016 it opened its doors as Cornwall's first micropub.
The Room
Whitewashed stone, low light and a mural wall to wall
One room, with wooden tables and benches made for sharing. The blue ceiling is strung with fairy lights and the back wall is a mural of St Ives in its fishing days. No background music and no screens: the soundtrack is conversation.
From the Cask
Ale straight from the wood, the old way
Every ale is poured by gravity, straight from the casks on the stillage behind the bar. The line-up changes every week and comes from small breweries in Cornwall and Devon. Ask at the bar what's just gone on. A few that have been through lately:
- Potion No 9Penzance · pale ale4,0%
- Shipwreck CoastFirebrand · pale ale4,0%
- Brisons BitterPenzance · bitter4,5%
- In VeinMine, St Ives · stout4,6%
Up to 4 ales in summer and 2 in winter, plus cider and wine. For a snack, a tin of pilchards.
Dog Friendly
Bring the dog, they're regulars too
Dogs come in, settle under the bench and get a fuss from whoever's on the next table. Families are welcome too. If the room is full, just ask and squeeze in wherever there's space.
Finding Us
Up an alley off Wharf Road
We're on St Ives harbour front, but you can't see us from the street. Look for the gap between Talay Thai and the Cornish Pasty Shop.
Go under the blue banner, follow the alley and climb the steps to the round sign with the lamp. St Ives station is about a 10-minute walk.