Abi Manning heads to St Ives to dip her toe in the water at St Austell Brewery’s newly transformed seaside inn
Legend has it that St Ives was created when a young Irish missionary, Saint Ia, miraculously floated across the sea on a leaf, establishing a church where the Cornish town now stands.
The intentions for my pilgrimage (eat, drink, swim, shop, repeat) and travel method (car) may not have been so saintly, but the experience was certainly divine.
What
St Austell Brewery owns around 180 pubs across the South West, approximately 50 of which are managed by the brewery itself. Many of the latter have been treated to a striking glow‑up in recent years and there are more in the pipeline.
Having already experienced one of these refurbs at the Pier House in Charlestown, which was swanked up this year following a devastating fire, my hopes for this newly unveiled sister site were high.
Why
Pedn Olva, located in a superior position on rocks overlooking Porthminster Beach and St Ives Bay, has just been given the St Austell Brewery treatment in a transformational overhaul, both inside and out.
The region’s landscape and mining past (the pub itself is on the site of a former engine house for a copper mine) is referenced at every turn. A hunk of granite adorns reception, a bespoke copper sculpture towers above the ten‑metre bar, expansive glazing connects guests to the ocean, and locally crafted artwork adorns the walls. The decor in the 27 bedrooms creates further coastal connection via glass fishing floats, nautical rope and reclaimed driftwood.
Naturally, the menu follows suit. Cornish classics such as the daily catch and fish and chips rub shoulders with the likes of pan‑roasted breast of chicken with Cornish crab, charred calabrese, anchovy hollandaise and dill.
The inn’s seafood supplier, Matthew Stevens, is based just ten minutes down the road, so fresh fish and shellfish are a given ‑ and an excellent shout. I started with steamed mussels bathed in a Cornish Orchards cider, clotted cream, spring onion and parsley sauce, with focaccia for dipping.
For mains, I plumped for dressed crab with a side salad, wasabi cream, sliced ciabatta and fries. Cornish clotted cream lemon posset with a traditional hevva biscuit delivered a zingy finale.
Nearby
Guests are culturally and coastally spoilt for choice in St Ives. Art lovers will want to tick off Tate St Ives, the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, The Leach Pottery and the countless indie galleries dotted around town. There are also plenty of opportunities to get a blast of the outdoors via windy walks on the South West Coast Path, beach strolls and sea sports.
Or sizzle in a beach sauna, hop aboard a boat trip in search of dolphins and seals, or head to Tarquin’s to make gin.
Verdict
If you can, book a room with sea views – it would be sacrilege not to soak up the coastal vista at every opportunity. Then, after check‑in, crack the spine of a new novel while sipping a complimentary korev from the minibar as the ocean crashes in the distance.
Recommend to friends?
St Ives may heave with visitors in summer, but it shines in low season. Pedn Olva is a delicious place to cosy up with friends and sip ale while watching the weather whip across the bay. Now that’s a Proper (Job) way to do a weekend.
