The River Stennack
Did you ever wonder why The Stennack (as in the road) is called The Stennack? It is named after the river Stennack which runs through town.
Stennack Meaning
The word Stennack in Cornish means "place of tin" and the river is named after all of the tin in the area.
The Great Flood
As you can imagine, having a river running down through the town can cause problems. In 1894 the river flooded and caused huge amounts of damage. It took 100s of men to clear the river and build new adits to divert the water.
Slum Clearances
The river used to be completely open and was quite a health hazard due to it being used as an open drain. As part of the slum clearances (see Pudding Bag Lane) the Stennack river was eventually altered so hopefully wouldn't flood or cause health problems again.
It runs down the left hand side of Higher Stennack and crosses under the road to run down the right hand side closer into town. It runs underground in sections, especially lower down in town.
It comes out into the sea at Lambeth Walk in town, behind the RNLI station.
Consols Pond
Consols Pond sits at the very top of Higher Stennack, behind the round house at the junction to Hayle and Zennor.
It was originally an engine pool which would have been part of the mine workings at Consols. There were sluice gates which could be opened and closed, releasing the water into the river Stennack.
Consols Mine
Consols mine produced copper and tin ore and was developed in the 1820s and 30s by John Halse (who Halsetown is named after). The mine was a very productive one and closed in 1915 during the WW1.
Mine Shafts
In 2018 one of the old mine shafts opened up on Garth-An-Creet which was part of the old workings from the Consols mine. This is why when you buy a house in St Ives you need to get a mining survey done!
Good Friday Boating On Consols Pond
On Good Friday people gather at Consols Pond to sail model boats.
The tradition of sailing model boats in St Ives on Good Friday goes way back. Originally people sailed miniature boats into the sea as a sort of offering to appease the weather gods. There used to be a large sea pool in the harbour called Cock Bank Pool which was originally used. However, shifting sands and construction work in the harbour led to people going up the hill to use the engine pools instead.
This age old tradition was almost lost, but has recently been revived. Now it is a well attended event where people go and sail their model sailing boats and yachts. There is a competition but you don't need to compete. The local chapel close by also opens its door and provides refreshments.
