There was plenty to smile about when a group of helpers and artists recently met together for tea in the Bible Christian Chapel in St Ives. During the recent St Ives September Festival these volunteers had welcomed 740 visitors to the building at a series of Open Days.

This handsome small Methodist chapel, in the heart of Downlong, has recently been acquired by the Community Land Trust to create an arts hub. At a time when chapels are tragically closing and developed into high priced living accommodation, this is definitely a good news story.

Also known as the St Peter’s Street Chapel, and sited on the corner of Back Road West and St Peter’s Street, its history goes back almost two hundred years, to 1858.

Regular services were provided for generations of fishermen and their families who lived and worked in the area. The children, too, were not forgotten – the white extension on the left-hand side of the building was the Sunday School.

Prominent in the photograph is the fine church organ. This will be retained, along with a small first-floor wooden gallery at the other end of the building. The organ was installed in 1934 and built by the Bath-based Sweetland Organ Company.

Funding is now being sought to create eight spaces for local arts and craft workers. The plan is to hold small public performance events too. When completed, this will be an important cultural addition to the area, as the Chapel is immediately across the road from the Penwith Gallery (see the third photograph).