The electors of St Ives in the 1820s would have been perplexed by the lack of enthusiasm of today's electorate……………

The St Erth to St Ives branchline was the last new broad gauge line to be built in Britain and celebrates its 140th anniversary this year (2017).

On 19 May 1835 John Tregerthen Short (JTS) wrote in his diary, “The foundation of the Gas Works was laid by Camborne masons, the St Ives masons having demanded one-third more money to carry out the work.”

At 9.30am the Ono, of St Ives, captain Thomas Brooking Williams, with eighty-two emigrants, sailed for Quebec. - John Tregerthen Short in his diary for 14 May 1849

The water was brought into the town this day. The expense was defrayed by public subscription – Mr Stephens, of Tregenna, giving £100 and Mr Praed £100. There are eight public fountains. To celebrate the event a band of music went round the town, followed by a great concourse of people. John Tregerthen Short, 8 May 1843 in his diary.

On April 2 1832 the St Ives Chronicler, aka John Tregerthen Short (JTS), wrote in his diary that the demolition of the old market house had begun. He noted that the old building had been constructed in 1490......

All is not well at St Ives. The fishermen have been bringing good money into the town – their official returns for the year up £5,000 last year to £52,000. Money like this should – surely – bring a substantial voice...........

April 11 1823 saw the opening of “Sir Christopher's School” in St Ives. Sir Christopher was Sir Christopher Hawkins of Trewithen, the local M.P., and the school was described by John Tregerthen Short (JTS), in his diary entry for 11 April 1823) as a free school for the education of poor children.

The winter of 1836/37 is not generally cited as a particularly bad one but in St Ives the weather was severe enough to prompt John Tregerthen Short to comment several times in his diary:

The Channel swarmed with French privateers that seized English merchant vessels on an almost daily basis. This was the fate of the brig, Friendship – a vessel of 15 tons burthen, built at Swansea in 1801 and partly owned by Josias Sincock of St Ives.