In July 2025 Parliamentary troops and the cavalry marched into St Ives and were inspected in Market Hill by the St Ives Mayor, Cllr Julie Kerr accompanied by Sarah Conboy, Leader of HDC. The Parish Church bells rang to warn of the arrival of the King’s Army who marched to Bridge Street where they met the Roundheads. Just before midday St Ives Bridge was blown up again!

That afternoon celebrations moved to Hill Rise Park where a Living History Village had been created and the following day another battle was held there. That weekend event saw the town filled with horses, Cavaliers, Roundheads, firework displays, enthusiastic residents and some 4,000 visitors. A fantastic weekend of festivities which will be remembered for a very long time was organised superbly by the St Ives Town Team.

December 2025 – Glory to the 600!

Not a reference to the Charge of the Light Brigade but a fitting tribute to the St Ives Town Team to mark their re-enactment in July which commemorated the 600th anniversary of the attack on the town bridge: a defensive response by Cromwell’s Roundheads to the threat posed by advancing Royalists in the mid-1400s.

On Friday 5 December the Civic Society acknowledged the exceptional work of the Town Team in promoting the town’s heritage with an award presentation held at the Golden Lion hotel. Here, Civic Society Chair Christine Phillpotts presented the Town Team’s Sheila Stones and John Souter with a Certificate of Appreciation, and honorary memberships for each member of the team to mark their appreciation.

Lifetime Members of the Civic Society

We were delighted to see local lifetime members of the Civic Society, Peter and Anne Theakston, at the Town Team celebration on 5 December. They joined the Society when it was first formed in 1970 to protest against a new road proposal which would have cut through Holt Island and Hemingford Meadow. After years of successful protest, in 1980 the new road and bridge was opened and named Harrison Way after the then Secretary of the Civic Society.

Peter’s father was a Partner at the well-known auction house of Dilley, Theakston and Read, as was his grandfather. As part of the auction business they ran the St Ives weekly livestock market, one of the largest in the country (up to 3000 head of livestock auctioned every week). Peter and Anne are dedicated members and rarely miss a Civic meeting.