St Austell
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 St. Austell, Shown within the UK | |
St Austell has a population of 22,658 (2001 census), larger than any other town in Cornwall (including the city of Truro, the county's capital, which has population of 20,920).
St Austell does not have a town council but is the site of Restormel Borough Council's headquarters.
Contents
Earliest history
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 the 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 "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.The impact of clay mining
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 principle 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 metal mining industry, which increased the population of the town considerably. This increase in the population of the town 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 contributing factors, lead to St Austell becoming one of the top ten most important commercial centres of Cornwall.Much to the detriment of the local economy, the clay industry now employs just over 3000 people, a mere fraction of the workforce as it was during the early 20th century — thanks to vast technological improvements, despite the downsizing of the workforce the industry still commands a higher annual output than ever before. The majority of population of St Austell who work in St Austell now work in shops, pubs, building/construction companies, auto repair shops, and food outlets.
Other industries and businesses
The St Austell brewery in the town 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. St Austell brewery runs The William Cookworthy, a training pub named after the man who discovered clay in Cornwall — the brewery provides bar staff training courses to St Austell brewery's own staff as well as staff from other pubs in Cornwall. Apart from the William Cookworthy there are 7 other pubs in the town centre: The Waterwheel, The White Hart, The Queens Head, The Seven Stars, The Stag, O'Callaghans (formerly The Sun), and The Western Inn.St Austell town's largest shops include a Woolworths, Boots, Superdrug, Iceland, W H Smith, Co-op, B&Q, MFI, Halfords, Claire's, and numerous other small chain shops. The town also hosts a number of independent traders, including a piercing studio, two tattoo studios, , a cycle sales and hire shop, a surf shop, a trophy shop, a rustic furniture shop, two newsagents, three jewellers, and a skateboarding shop (recently closed down).
Tourism
As well as business and trade with and from the local population, tourism is becoming 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.Transport
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 faces the entrance to the railway station to offer an easy interchange between buses and trains. National Express coach services call here, and local buses operate to towns such as Fowey and Mevagissey.
Food
St Austell boasts an extensive range of successful food outlets. Food is quickly becoming the main business of the town, with the majority of shops offering food of some description. As well as fast food restaurants, there are also three bakeries and a cake shop (the famous Thin End), as well as a coffee shop, kebab shop, and several pubs that serve meals. The town also has four Chinese take-aways, two fish and chip shops, and one Indian take-away.Don't forget the Glanfield Pasty Shop/Bakery — the little old man used to walk up and down the street, with a teacloth covered basket, yelling "ot pasties..."
Redevelopment
The town is currently going through a much criticised and controversial redevelopment process that has considerably disrupted local business, with many shops being forced to shut down as a result. The redevelopment has gained heavy opposition since the beginning, especially after the legal battles and subsequent closure of Tesco prior to the closure and eventual demolition of its ageing multi-storey car park, and threats to demolish the town's original art deco cinema, which during the second world war served as a bomb shelter. The main argument here being that the lack of convenient amenities such as big supermarket chains attracts less shoppers which in turn makes business harder for the remaining shops. The main controversy surrounding the redevelopment however has more to do with the fact that although the council are going through with their plans to demolish the town centre, they have not yet agreed on plans for what will be built afterwards, nor have they received any kind of funding or government approval for the redevelopment. This casts a shadow of doubt and uncertainty about the future of the town which has already scared off many small businesses who when faced with the option of dropping out now or risking major losses in the future, chose the former hoping to return once the redevelopment is complete. Also the town's only examples of post war modernist and brutalist architecture are at risk, such as the rather untidy Woolworths building — all of the less productive and vacant brutalist buildings were promptly removed as "eyesores", a move which summed up an uncompassionate attitude toward the style and historic significance of the buildings, which suggests that the writing is on the wall for the rest of the town's brutalist structures. Although these are considered ugly by many, they are nonetheless an important part of the town's history.Architecture
As previously mentioned, brutalism was and to a lesser extent still is a major part of the town's architecture. All of the town's largest buildings, including some that have already been demolished, are and were typical examples of mid sixties brutalist design. A combination of raw concrete, either in brick or poured form, and white painted sections (usually wood, mostly on window frames) are common. Examples of brutalist architecture still to be found in St Austell are Park House tower block, the Woolworths building, Polkyth leisure centre, St Austell College old campus, St Austell College John Keay House (new) campus, and the Trinity Street building. More recent additions to the town centre bearing notable architectural style, such as the Argos/Boots/WH Smith building, sport modern post-brutalist minimalism. Most of the other buildings in and near the centre occupy original structures either in renovated or modified form. Some buildings have however survived in-tact, these usually sporting classical Victorian and Gregorian design style. Famous 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). It is also home to St Austell Brewery which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2001 and was visited by Prince Charles.Education
St Austell has two comprehensive schools, Poltair School [link] (Poltair meaning Clear Pool) with head teacher Heather Mclroy (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).See also
External links
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- [St Austell Town Website]
- [St. Austell (DMOZ.org)]
- [Cornwall College St Austell Campus]
- [St Austell Brewery]
- [China Clay Country Park and Museum]
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