St Austell
St Austell
| |
---|---|
High Cross Street | |
Location within Cornwall | |
Population | 20,900 (2021)[1] |
OS grid reference | SX011524 |
Civil parish |
|
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
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 | |
Website | www.staustell.co.uk |
Saint Austell (/ˈɒstəl/, /ˈɔː-/; Standard Written Form: Sans Austel)[3] is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, 10 miles (16 km) south of Bodmin and 30 miles (48 km) west of the border with Devon.[4]
At the 2021 census it had a population of 20,900.[1]
History
St Austell was a village centred around the parish church, until the arrival of significant tin mining in the 18th century turned it into a town.
St Austell is named after the 6th-century Cornish saint, St Austol, a disciple of St Mewan. In a Vatican manuscript there is a 10th-century list of Cornish parish saints. This includes Austoll, which means that the church and village existed at that time, shortly after 900.[5]
St Austell is not mentioned in
In the time of Henry VIII, St Austell is described as a poor village. In John Leland's Itinerary he says, in around 1542, "At S. Austelles is nothing notable but the paroch chirch".[7] Neither travel writer, John Norden (c. 1547 – 1625) or Richard Carew (1555–1620) in his Survey of Cornwall mentioned St Austell as a place of any consequence. Oliver Cromwell granted a charter to hold a market on Friday, as a reward to a local gentleman who fought for him at the battle of Boconnoc.[8]
The village started to grow in the 18th century. The nearby
The town was a noted centre of Methodism. By 1839 The West Briton recorded 37 non-conformist chapels in the town.
Climate
Climate data for St Austell 79m amsl (1981–2010) (extremes 1998–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 13 (55) |
12 (54) |
16 (61) |
20 (68) |
20 (68) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
22 (72) |
18 (64) |
16 (61) |
14 (57) |
25 (77) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.3 (48.7) |
9.1 (48.4) |
11.0 (51.8) |
12.8 (55.0) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.0 (64.4) |
20.4 (68.7) |
20.3 (68.5) |
18.3 (64.9) |
14.8 (58.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
9.9 (49.8) |
14.3 (57.7) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.8 (38.8) |
3.7 (38.7) |
4.8 (40.6) |
5.4 (41.7) |
7.9 (46.2) |
10.6 (51.1) |
12.9 (55.2) |
12.8 (55.0) |
11.0 (51.8) |
8.9 (48.0) |
6.3 (43.3) |
4.3 (39.7) |
7.7 (45.8) |
Record low °C (°F) | −1 (30) |
−4 (25) |
−4 (25) |
2 (36) |
6 (43) |
9 (48) |
11 (52) |
11 (52) |
8 (46) |
6 (43) |
2 (36) |
1 (34) |
−4 (25) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 134.2 (5.28) |
103.1 (4.06) |
97.1 (3.82) |
77.3 (3.04) |
70.2 (2.76) |
71.0 (2.80) |
79.6 (3.13) |
74.7 (2.94) |
89.9 (3.54) |
129.7 (5.11) |
144.2 (5.68) |
135.1 (5.32) |
1,206.1 (47.48) |
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 16.7 | 12.8 | 14.5 | 11.9 | 10.7 | 9.6 | 10.4 | 11.2 | 11.1 | 15.8 | 16.8 | 16.2 | 157.7 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 49.7 | 71.0 | 108.5 | 172.8 | 184.1 | 178.2 | 182.7 | 172.7 | 135.9 | 91.4 | 67.6 | 46.6 | 1,461.2 |
Source 1: Met Office[11] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: MSN weather[12] |
Redevelopment
Work began in 1963 on a brutalist-style pedestrian precinct which included shops, offices, and flats. The design was by Alister MacDonald & Partners and the materials reinforced concrete with some stone facing.[13]
In the 2000s this area of the town had become very outdated, and underwent a £75 million redevelopment process. In August 2007, developers David McLean and demolition team Gilpin moved onto the town centre site to complete the preparation, with the Filmcentre which was originally an Odeon cinema dating back to 1936, being demolished in late September/early October.[citation needed]
In October 2007, the
It was announced in October 2008 that the developer David McLean Developments had gone into administration and concern was expressed that this could jeopardise the completion of the project.[15]
The new White River Cinema opened its doors in December 2008 for the first time: the cinema is technically advanced and the first purpose-built cinema in Cornwall for over 60 years. The Torchlight Carnival was revived [clarification needed] in November 2009 as a direct result of public demand through a survey conducted with local residents. The Torchlight Procession has become an important event in the town's calendar, heralding in the Winter celebrations and drawing thousands of people from across Cornwall and Devon. The event is run by a small group of non-affiliated volunteers.[citation needed]
The St Austell and Clay Country Eco-town is a plan for several new settlements around St Austell on old Imerys sites. It was given outline government approval in July 2009.[16]
The
Governance
The arms of St Austell are Argent a
Parliamentary
St Austell is in the parliamentary constituency of
Local government
The main local authority is Cornwall Council, the unitary authority created as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England.[20] The six former Districts and the former Cornwall County Council were abolished and replaced by Cornwall Council on 1 April 2009.
Also on 1 April 2009, four
- St Austell Town Council covering Boscoppa, Bethel, Gover, Mount Charles, Poltair and Holmbush; represented by 20 councillors.
- Carlyon Parish Council covering Carlyon Bay and Tregrehan; represented by 9 councillors.
- St Austell Bay Parish Council covering Charlestown, Duporth, Porthpean and Trenarren; represented by 7 councillors.
- Pentewan Valley Parish Council covering Tregorrick, Trewhiddle, London Apprentice and Pentewan; represented by 9 councillors.[22][23]
Before this date the area had been an unparished area.
Economy
St Austell is the main centre of the china clay industry in Cornwall and employs around 2,200 people as of 2006[update], with sales of £195 million.[24][25]
The
Tourism
As in 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 tourist attraction such as the Eden Project, sited in a former clay pit, and the Lost Gardens of Heligan. The China Clay Country Park, in a former china-clay pit two miles (3 km) 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
Newspaper and radio
The town has two weekly newspapers:
- Cornwall and Devon MediaLtd, has a long history in the town and is published on Friday.
- St Austell Voice, sister paper to the Newquay Voice, had offices close to the town centre in Truro Road, but has since moved to Old Vicarage Place. It is published on Wednesday.
Radio St Austell Bay is a local radio station which broadcasts from studios at Tregorrick Park. It launched in January 2008 to cover the area from Trewoon in the west to Tywardreath in the east.
Landmarks
Notable Cornish architect Silvanus Trevail designed a number of St Austell's buildings and houses, including the Thin End and the Moorland Road terrace. Other notable architects from St Austell include John Goode, who contributed considerably during the 1970s to residential developments in the area.
- The Parish Church
- The Old Market Hall, in Italian Renaissance style, 1844
- Friends Meeting House, 1829, a plain granite structure
- Masonic Hall, South Street, 1900[27] and is home to nine Masonic bodies[28]
- White Hart Hotel: once contained panoramic wallpaper of the Bay of Naples by Dufour (now in the Victoria and Albert Museum)[29]
- Holy Well at Menacuddle
- Three buildings of the 1960s: Penrice School, 1960; Public Library, 1961; former Magistrates' Court, 1966
Media
Television
Local TV coverage is provided by BBC South West and ITV West Country. Television signals are received from the Caradon Hill and local relay TV transmitters.[30][31]
Radio
Local radio stations are BBC Radio Cornwall on 95.2 FM, Heart West on 105.1 FM, and CHAOS Radio, a community based station which broadcast from the town on 105.6 FM. [32]
Newspapers
The town is served by the local newspaper, St Austell Voice. [33]
Transport
There was a siding located west of the viaduct. In the early years trains from St Austell had to push wagons over the tall, curving viaduct to shunt this siding. The
The town's bus station faces the entrance to the railway station to offer an easy interchange between buses and trains.
and the A3082 to Fowey.St Austell bus station
St Austell bus station is the main bus and coach terminus for the town. The bus station is located in the forecourt of the railway station, formerly a railway goods yard.
The bus station was redeveloped again in 2008, the new facility being opened on 3 November. It now comprises seven stands and shares facilities such as a taxi rank and buffet with the adjoining railway station which is operated by Great Western Railway, a sister company to the main local bus operator. Local services are provided by Go Cornwall and Kernow. Long-distance coach services are part of the National Express Coaches network.
History
The Great Western Railway started to operate what they called 'road motors' from outside their railway station on 3 August 1908. These first services ran to St Columb Road via St Dennis.
A bus garage was later provided nearby in Eliot Road, next to the railway's new goods yard. The network was progressively extended over the next twenty years, after which time the services were transferred to the Western National Omnibus Company, formed in 1929 to free the railway company from its bus services and avoid complaints about its transport monopoly.[38] Western National has now become part of the FirstGroup and operates as Kernow.[citation needed]
Education
St Austell has three comprehensive schools, Poltair School, formerly the grammar school, and Penrice Academy; together with Brannel School which is situated in the nearby village of St Stephen-in-Brannel. Several of these are joining an academy trust called CELT (Cornwall Education and Learning Trust).[39]
Cornwall College St Austell is a Further & Higher Education institution incorporating the former St Austell Sixth Form Centre and Mid Cornwall College of Further Education. The college is based at John Keay House, which is also home to the college group's headquarters.
There are a number of primary schools within the town.[40]
Health services
St Austell has its own hospital, St Austell Community Hospital, formerly called Penrice Hospital.[41]
Religious sites
The
The present church is of the 15th century and is large because the mediaeval parish was also a large one: the tower is impressive. All four outside walls bear sculptural groups in carved niches: the Twelve Apostles in three groups on the north, east and south; the Holy Trinity above the Annunciation and below that the Risen Christ between two saints on the west. The tower can be dated to between 1478 and 1487 by the arms of Bishop Courtenay, and the walls are faced in
The tower and other parts of the church have an interior lining of granite[43] On the south side of the church, a formerly separate chantry has been incorporated into the church when it was extended. (The chantry itself was abolished in 1543.)
There are holy wells at
The parish of St Austell was part of the
Quakers
There was formerly a Quaker burial ground at Tregongeeves, just outside the town on the Truro Road. It was covered by about 6 feet (1.8 m) of earth removed from the building of the new road in the 1960s. A high stone wall bounds the remaining acre of land; access can be gained through a wrought iron gate.
Approximately forty of the headstones from Tregongeeves were removed and are now located at the Friends meeting house in the High Cross Street in St Austell, just below the high wall which surrounds St Austell railway station. That meeting house is still in use.
Sport
Cornish wrestling
St Austell has been a major centre for Cornish wrestling for centuries. The ancient traditional location for wrestling tournaments was the Bull Ring, behind the stables at the White Hart Inn. Other places used for Cornish wrestling tournaments include:
- The Wrestling Downs was also a traditional place for wrestling tournaments, opposite Polkyth, that initially were built on in the 1930s making Tremayne Place.[52]
- Wrestling Green which was another traditional venue for wrestling tournaments, which was very close to the Wrestling Downs.
- Fairfield - located above St Austell station, opposite the library.[53]
- Mount Charles - tournaments were held here in the 1800s and 1900s.[54][55]
- St Austell football field - there were many tournaments held in the St Austell football field as soon as it was built. Note that this replaced the use of Fairfield (which is relatively close by). [56]
- The Public Rooms were used for Cornish wrestling tournaments and challenge matches.[57]
- West Hill School playing fields associated with West Hill School, were used for wrestling tournaments.[58]
Many famous Cornish wrestlers came from St Austell including Jacob Halls, James Bullocke, Samuel Rundle, Joseph Menear, Philip Hancock and Thomas Stone. Others who were successful in
St Austell was at one time well known for a couple of techniques:
- Flying Mare.[60]
- Lock Arm: At the end of the 1800s the St Austell wrestlers were renowned for this throw, which involved locking the opponent’s arm with your arm, so as to make them vulnerable to a range of throws.[61]
Currently there is a Cornish wrestling club, open to the public, which meets every Monday from 7pm to 9pm above the St Austell rifle club, by the football club opposite Poltair School.
Speedway
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. 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 four years, until the club changed ownership, and moved up a league to the Premier League, re-formed as the Trelawny JAG Tigers, until site owners Imerys Minerals Ltd ended the lease. 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 at Par Moor Motor Museum and St Eval Raceway. The owner of the land for the Par Moor bid confirmed that he would rent the land for speedway but locals objected. The St Eval bid failed after residents expressed fears about noise.
Stock car racing
Stock car racing, promoted by 1950s Kiwi Speedway star Trevor Redmond, ran side by side with speedway on numerous occasions. Numerous championships were run here, including the 1972 BriSCA World Championship for Formula 2 cars, won by Jimmy Murray from Northern Ireland. It closed its doors in 1987.
Greyhound racing
A greyhound racing track was also opened at the Cornish Stadium and traded from 1958 to 1986. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the National Greyhound Racing Club) and was known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks.[62][63]
Football
Rugby and tennis
Tregorrick Park is the home of
Tregorrick Park also hosts a gym, sports hall, squash courts, bar, function room and holds local events such as firework displays and schools cross country competitions.
Cricket
Wheal Eliza cricket ground is the home of St Austell Cricket Club, and is also used for Minor Counties matches. The club supports four senior teams, a ladies' team and youth teams. Facilities at Wheal Eliza includes two playing fields with their own changing room facilities enabling the club to hold two competitive matches every match day. The club also has a pavilion, scorebox, artificial and grass nets.
Baseball
In 2017, the St Austell Claycutters baseball club was established to compete in the South West Baseball League. While the team are named and associated with St. Austell, all outdoor training and home games are held on the sports fields at Fowey River Academy in Fowey.[citation needed]
Golf
There are three 18-hole golf courses located around St Austell; St Austell Golf Club, Carlyon Bay Golf Club, and Porthpean Golf Club. St Austell Golf Club is the only one that has a driving range as well as being the oldest of the three, being founded in 1911,[65] with Carlyon Bay being designed a year later in 1912.[66] There used to be a 9-hole course known as St Austell Bay but since 2014 this has been turned into a 36-hole football-golf course known as Cornwall Football Golf.[67]
Notable people
- Alfred Leslie Rowse (1903–1997), a British historian and writer, educated in St Austell[68]
- John William Colenso (1814 - 1883), first Bishop of Natal[69]
- John Nettles (born 1943), actor, raised in St Austell[70]
- Jonathan Crowther (1794 – 1856), Wesleyan Methodist minister, born in St Austell[71]
- Mary Corinne Quintrell (1839–1918), English-born American educator and clubwoman, born in St Austell[72]
- Paul Rapsey Hodge (1808–1871), English-American inventor and mechanical engineer, born in St Austell[73]
- Steve Baker (born 1971), British politician, born in St Austell[74]
- Vaughn Toulouse (1959–1991), British singer; founding member of Department S, raised in St Austell[75][76]
See also
- Boscoppa, a suburb of St Austell
- Carclaze, a suburb of St Austell
- Charlestown, the port of St Austell
- St Austell with Fowey, a former local government area
- St Stephen-in-Brannel, a district of village near St Austell
- Sticker, a village near St Austell
- Treverbyn, a nearby village and parish
- Trewoon, a village near St Austell
- People from St Austell
- HMS St Austell Bay (K634)
References
- ^ a b "Census 2021". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ "About St Austell - St Austell Town Council".
- ^ "List of Place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel" (PDF). Cornish Language Partnership. May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-319-22938-5
- ^ "The first mention of St Austell, ca. 900 AD, in a Vatican manuscript" – Roger Pearse, 2020.
- ^ St Austell Parish Church website, visited 11 May 2020.
- ^ Leland, John (1964). "Part III". In Lucy Toulmin Smith (ed.). Leland's Itinerary in England and Wales. Vol. I. London: Centaur Press. p. 202.
- ^ Frederick Wilton Litchfield Stockdale, Excursions in the county of Cornwall, p.62.
- ^ Gilbert, Davies (1838). The Parochial History of Cornwall. London: J. B. Nicholls and Son. p. 47.
- ISBN 0-906294-25-8.
- ^ "St Austell Climate Period: 1981–2010". Met Office. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ^ "Records and Averages". MSN. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ Pevsner, N.(1970) Cornwall; 2nd ed. Penguin Books; pp. 156–58
- ^ Cornish Guardian, 3 October 2007
- ^ Cornish Guardian, 27 October 2008.
- ^ "Eco-town home page". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ "'World-class' development approved for Carlyon Bay". Cornish Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012.
- ^ "Carlyon Bay development given the go ahead". BBC News. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ISBN 0-902899-76-7.
- ^ "Cornwall (Structural Change) Order 2008". Office of Public Sector Information. 25 February 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
- ^ "Town and parishes to get councils". BBC News website. BBC. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
- ^ [1] Cornwall Council website (1). Retrieved May 2010
- ^ [2] Cornwall Council website (2). Retrieved May 2010
- ^ British Geological Survey (January 2006). "Kaolin Mineral Planning Factsheet" (PDF). Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ Imerys Minerals Limited (2003) Blueprint: Vision for the Future
- ^ Vergnault, Olivier (19 November 2023). "The pub that is now helping young people to a brighter future". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ Cryer, Revd N B (1989) Masonic Halls of England: The South Shepperton: Ian Allan, pp 107–114
- ^ Province of Cornwall (2012) Cornwall Masonic Year Book 2012–2013
- ^ "Vues d'Italie; La Baie de Naples". Victoria and Albert Museum. 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Full Freeview on the Caradon Hill (Cornwall, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "Freeview Light on the St Austell (Cornwall, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "Radio St Austell Bay". Discover St Austell. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "St Austell Voice". Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ISBN 0-946184-53-4.
- ISBN 0-906899-56-7.
- ^ "St Austell Viaduct - St. Austell". wikimapia.org.
- ^ "National Rail Timetable 135 (Winter 2008)" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ISBN 0-86093-050-5.
- ^ "Academies". Cornwall Education Learning Trust. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "All Schools In St Austell, Cornwall|Schools Insight". www.schoolsinsight.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Cornwall bucks negative trend as midwife-led birthing centre opens 24/7". Cornwall Live. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ Pevsner, N. (1970) Cornwall; 2nd ed., revised by Enid Radcliffe. Penguin Books
- ^ Roberts, E. (1967) The Story of St Austell Parish Church Ramsgate: The Church Publishers
- ^ Cornish Church Guide (1925) Truro: Blackford; p. 57
- ^ "St Austell. Organ Recital On The New Church Organ". The Cornishman. No. 94. 29 April 1880. p. 7.
- ^ Truro Diocesan Directory 2008. Truro Diocesan Board of Finance. pp. 60–61.
- ^ Langdon, A. G. (1896) Old Cornish Crosses. Truro: Joseph Pollard; p. 253
- ^ Langdon, A. G. (2002) Stone Crosses in Mid Cornwall; 2nd ed. Federation of Old Cornwall Societies; p. 22
- ^ "Our Parish Flag". St Austell Parish. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ Illustrated Sporting News and Theatrical and Musical Review, 2 April 1864, p1.
- ^ Death of Mr Tom Stone, Cornish Guardian, 18 March 1937, p10.
- ^ Cornish wrestling open tournament at Bethel St Austell, Cornish Guardian, 10 March 1932, p5.
- ^ Royal Cornwall Gazette, 20 June 1862.
- ^ Royal Cornwall Gazette, 1 June 1872.
- ^ Cornish Guardian - Friday 22 July 1921.
- ^ Royal Cornwall Gazette, 24 May 1900.
- ^ Cornish Guardian, 18 November 1954.
- ^ Cornish Guardian, 11 August 1955.
- ^ Cornish wrestling, Football News (Nottingham), 14 October 1893, p6.
- ^ Hooper, W Tregoning: The Mullion and other champion wrestlers, Cornishman, 5 October 1921, p3.
- ^ Wrestling matches at Redruth, Cornishman, 28 August 1884, p6.
- ISBN 0-948955-15-5.
- ^ "St Austell Greyhound Stadium". Greyhound Racing Times. 3 February 2019.
- ^ "Club history". St Austell AFC. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
- ^ "Our History". Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "History". Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Home Page". Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Richard Ollard; A Man of Contradictions: A Life of A. L. Rowse
- ^ O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "John William Colenso", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews
- ^ "John Nettles overcame troubled Cornish childhood to become TV star". Cornwalllive.com. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1888). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 13. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ "Mary Corinne Quintrell" in The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (Case Western Reserve University, 1997).
- ^ Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. "Paul Rapsey Hodge". Who's Who in Engineering. Grace's Guide Ltd. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ Profile Archived 6 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine, ukwhoswho.com. Retrieved 12 May 2015. [not specific enough to verify]
- ^ Trewhela, Lee (23 May 2021). "Cornwall pop star Vaughn Toulouse of Department S who died far too young". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "The night is young, the mood is mellow..." MetaFilter. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
Further reading
- Hammond, Joseph (1897) St Austell: being an account of St Austell, town, church, district and people. London: Skeffington & Son
- Rowse, A. L. (1960) St Austell: Church, Town, Parish. St Austell: H. E. Warne
- Roberts, E (1967) The Story of St Austell Parish Church, Ramsgate: The Church Publishers
External links
- St Austell Town Council
- St Austell at Curlie
- Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for St Austell Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- St Austell travel guide from Wikivoyage