St Ives, Cambridgeshire

St Ives is a medieval market town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Great Ouse, and there is a historic stone bridge dating from 1425. The bridge has an unusual chapel incorporated into the structure. The nearby Quayside offers pleasing views of the river and the bridge.

The settlement was known at first as Slepe: it was at a convenient fording point on the river, which encouraged the establishment of a route for travellers between northern and eastern districts of the country, and London and the South, enhancing its importance. A little before the year 1000 CE, a coffin was dug up during ploughing: it apparently contained the remains of a holy man named Ivo of Ramsey, and as a result the town became a destination for pilgrims, and the name Slepe was changed over time to St Ives. A royal charter authorised the holding of a fair in the town; at the time this was hugely prestigious, further emphasising the town's significance.

A route for drovers became established through St Ives: they brought cattle and sheep from farming areas in Scotland and the North of England to the London and southern markets. As a stopping point en route the town developed an important cattle market. The importance of the route encouraged the building of a wooden bridge in 1107, and its replacement by the stone bridge in 1426. The bridge still exists; although very narrow it carried the main London Road from St Ives until a by-pass was built in 1980.

The economy of the town has always been dominated by agriculture. Twenty-first century changes have diminished the town's former dominance, but it remains a popular and pleasant place to live.