Statue to celebrate Cornish fishing history

The 'Tucking in the Net' memorial has been approved by the Cornwall Harbours Board

A memorial statue of pilchard fishermen is set to be built at St Ives Bay to put "history back" into the town.

The 'Tucking in the Net' memorial was approved by the Cornwall Harbours Board and will be created by Cornish sculptor Tom Leaper.

A group of St Ives residents wanted to place the statue at The Castle on Smeaton's Pier to celebrate the rich maritime heritage within the town, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Mr Leaper told the board that the memorial would pay tribute to all those who sailed from St Ives and its backdrop would be the bay where they caught fish.

The LDRS said between 1840 and 1900 there were nearly 300 boats fishing from Porthminster beach, making it the fourth biggest port in Britain and that in 1905 there was a record catch of 13m pilchards on a single day.

The sculpture will be derived from an image of the pilchard fishermen.

Between 1840 and 1900 there were nearly 300 boats fishing from Porthminster beach, the LDRS said

To fund the sculpture, Mr Leaper has been selling a series of small bronzes, with £15,400 being raised so far.

He said: “I plan to do 50 which should make £70,000, leaving £56,000 after VAT, which would go to the funding of the actual memorial.

"Every penny will be going into the construction.”

Harbours Board Chairman Loic Rich said a donation of £1,000 would celebrate the harbour's legacy.

He said: “Fishing is a huge part of St Ives’ history and I think the community will identify with that statue.

"I think it’s more than a statue – it’s what’s behind it.”