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St Austell
Cornish: Sen Ostell
St Austell shown within Cornwall
Population	22,658 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SX011524
District	Restormel
Shire county	Cornwall
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ST AUSTELL
Postcode district	PL25
Dialling code	01726
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Cornwall
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	St. Austell and Newquay
European Parliament	South West England
List of places: UK • England • Cornwall

Coordinates: 50°20′17″N 4°47′42″W / 50.338, -4.795

St Austell (Cornish: Sen Ostell) is a town in Cornwall, England, UK.

St Austell has a population of 22,658 (according to the 2001 census), larger than any other town in Cornwall (including the city of Truro, the county's capital, which has population of 20,920).

As an unparished area, St Austell does not have a town council or parish council, however it is the site of Restormel Borough Council's headquarters.

Contents 1 History 2 Economy and industry 2.1 Redevelopment 3 Transport 4 Sport 5 Architecture 6 Education 7 See also 8 External links

The first detailed record of the town's existence comes from an account of a visit to the county by the then reigning King Henry VIII, who despite mentioning it as being a town, described St Austell as at the time being little more than a small village surrounding a central church, whose only other notable feature was a small granite bridge (clearly far older than the other buildings) spanning the river (later to be known locally as "the White River" due to the drainage of micaceous waste water from the local clay industry). The bridge is still extant, and is believed to be either the oldest or one of the oldest standing structures in the town.

Not long after William Cookworthy discovered china clay in Tregonning, the same mineral was found in greater quantity in the hills north of St Austell town. Clay mining soon took over from tin and copper mining as the principal industry in the area, and this eventually became an enormous contributor to the growth of the town. The clay industry really only came into its own during the mid 19th to early 20th century, at a time when the falling price of tin and other metals forced many mines to close down or convert to clay mining. The success and high profitability of the clay industry attracted many of the families who had been put out of work by the depression in the local metalliferous mining industry, which increased the population of the town considerably. This increase in population meant that more shops and businesses offering various products and services to the now more numerous locals were taking root, providing more jobs and improving trade. This, along with other factors, led to St Austell becoming one of the ten most important commercial centres of Cornwall.

Due to mechanisation, the china clay industry now employs just over 3000 people, a mere fraction of the workforce in the early 20th century.^{[citation needed]} However, the industry still commands a higher annual output than ever before.^{[citation needed]} The town's economy is supported by its town centre shops and supporting businesses.

The St Austell Brewery, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2001, supplies cask ale to pubs in Cornwall and the rest of the UK. They are best known for their flagship beer, St Austell Tribute; a number of other ales are brewed but are rarely seen outside Cornwall.

Like much of Cornwall, and neighbouring counties, tourism is increasingly important to St Austell's economy. Tourists are drawn to the area by nearby beaches and attractions such as the Eden Project, sited in a former clay pit, and the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Visitors to the town make a sizable contribution to the local economy during the summer season.^{[citation needed]} The China Clay Country Park situated in a former china-clay pit two miles north of the town, tells the story of the men, women and children who lived, worked and played in the shadow of the clay tips around St Austell.

St Austell is home to several public houses, numerous high street retailers, and several independent shops, many of which cater for tourists.

St Austell is also home to Radio St Austell Bay, A community Radio station which will broadcast from Tregorrick Park, St Austell. It will broadcast from January to an audience of approximately 30,000 as it will cover St Austell and outlying towns, from Trewoon in the west to Tywardreath in the east.

St Austell also has a local newspaper, the St Austell Voice.

The town is currently going through a £75 multi-million redevelopment process. The redevelopment has gained heavy opposition since the beginning, with the main arguments coming from Friends for a Better St Austell. Marks and Spencers' Food Hall has been confirmed by the St Austell Redevelopment team as one of the companies interested in a part of the new development (Source from Cornish Guardian, Date Unknown - Sorry!)

In August 2007, developers David McLean and demolition team Gilpin moved onto the site to complete the preparation, with the Filmcentre, which dates back to the 1930s, being demolished in late September/early October.

In October 2007, the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) & project developers David McLean, announced the new development will be named 'White River Place'. Also announced (Cornish Guardian, 3/10/2007) is that 50% of units have been leased with high street stores, New Look, Peacocks, Starbucks & Wilkinson opening new stores. This would mean New Look relocating from its current premises in Fore Street & the return of Peacocks to St Austell following the demolition of its old store to make way for the new development.

St Austell railway station was opened by the Cornwall Railway on 4 May 1859 on the hillside above the town centre. Services operate to Plymouth, London Paddington, and the North, as well as other stations in Cornwall. The town's bus station, which is currently undergoing a redevelopment, faces the entrance to the railway station to offer an easy interchange between buses and trains. National Express coach services call here, a dedicated link operates to the Eden Project, and local buses operate to towns such as Fowey and Mevagissey. Currently, a temporary bus terminus is located at Palace Road, on the high level to the rear of the railway station.

Speedway racing first took place a venue called Rocky Park, under the name "St Austell Gulls". The sport was a hit during various years, between 1949 and 1963 at the Cornish Stadium - Now Stadium Retail Park, home of Cornish Market World. The sport returned to the area in the late 1990s, in the Clay Country Moto Parc, located at Old Pound, Nanpean. The club operated as the St Austell Gulls for 4 years, until the club changed ownership, and moved up a league to the Speedway Premier League, re-formed as the Trelawny JAG Tigers, until Site owners Imerys Minerals Ltd ended the lease and speedway has not been held in Cornwall since. Many attempts have been made to re-introduce the sport, but none have got past planning permission. The two highest profile bids were for a) Par Moor Motor Museum - the owner confirmed that he would rent the land for speedway, however locals objected, and b) St Eval Raceway, where again the management came across local residents who didn't want the noise the sport brings. Speedway in St Austell is completely non-existent now, and will remain so until planners, club owners and residents can agree on a location.

Most of the shops on the old high street near the centre occupy original buildings either in renovated or modified form.^{[citation needed]} Notable Cornish architect Silvanus Trevail designed many of St Austell's buildings and houses, including the Thin End and the Moorland Road terrace (originally known as Work House Lane, said work house having since been razed to the ground by arsonists).^{[citation needed]}

St Austell has two comprehensive schools, Poltair School, formerly the grammar school, and Penrice Community College. Cornwall College, which provides Further and Higher Education, also has sites in the town, and includes the former St Austell VIth Form College and Mid-Cornwall College of Further Education (MCCFE).

St Austell has 7 primary schools, Charlestown County Primary School, Bishop Bronescombe School, Carclaze Primary School, Mount Charles School, Pondhu Primary School, St Mewan Primary School, and Sandy Hill Community Primary School.

• Boscoppa, a district of St Austell
• Charlestown, the port of St Austell
• People from St Austell
• St. Austell with Fowey
• HMS St Austell Bay (K634)
• List of topics related to Cornwall

• St Austell Town Website
• St Austell at the Open Directory Project
• Cornwall College St Austell Campus
• St Austell Brewery
• China Clay Country Park and Museum
• St Austell Tourist Info
• St Austell Guide
• St Austell OCS
• Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for St Austell
• Carclaze Community Junior School

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See also: Cornwall Portal · WikiProject Cornwall

Civil Parishes of Restormel Borough
Cornwall
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