St Austell: Mid Cornwall Market Town Built on China Clay With the Eden Project Nearby
St Austell sits in mid Cornwall, about 14 miles northeast of Truro and 35 miles west of Plymouth. The population is around 23,000. The town's economy has been shaped for over two centuries by the china clay industry. The white clay pits and spoil heaps (locally called "the Cornish Alps") surrounding the town are visible for miles. China clay from St Austell has been used in ceramics, paper, and pharmaceuticals worldwide. The industry has declined from its peak but Imerys still operates extraction sites. The Eden Project, built in a disused clay pit at Bodelva two miles northeast of the town, opened in 2001 and has become one of the most visited attractions in the country, with its two biomes containing plants from tropical and Mediterranean climates.
The town centre along Fore Street and the White River retail area handles shopping. The Brewery pub on Trevarthian Road is housed in the former Walter Hicks brewery buildings. Holy Trinity Church on the High Cross has a 15th-century tower. St Austell station is on the Cornish Main Line between Plymouth and Penzance, with services to Plymouth in about an hour and connections onward to London Paddington. The A390 connects to Truro to the west and Liskeard to the east. For those exploring adult companionship in mid Cornwall, St Austell's rail link and the A390/A30 corridor provide access across Cornwall and into Devon.
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St Austell sits in mid Cornwall, about 14 miles northeast of Truro and 35 miles west of Plymouth. The population is around 23,000. The town's economy has been shaped for over two centuries by the china clay industry. The white clay pits and spoil heaps (locally called "the Cornish Alps") surrounding the town are visible for miles. China clay from St Austell has been used in ceramics, paper, and pharmaceuticals worldwide. The industry has declined from its peak but Imerys still operates extraction sites. The Eden Project, built in a disused clay pit at Bodelva two miles northeast of the town, opened in 2001 and has become one of the most visited attractions in the country, with its two biomes containing plants from tropical and Mediterranean climates.
The town centre along Fore Street and the White River retail area handles shopping. The Brewery pub on Trevarthian Road is housed in the former Walter Hicks brewery buildings. Holy Trinity Church on the High Cross has a 15th-century tower. St Austell station is on the Cornish Main Line between Plymouth and Penzance, with services to Plymouth in about an hour and connections onward to London Paddington. The A390 connects to Truro to the west and Liskeard to the east. For those exploring adult companionship in mid Cornwall, St Austell's rail link and the A390/A30 corridor provide access across Cornwall and into Devon.
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