About Us

The Community Assembly of St Austell is located in an area named after the 6th century Cornish Saint, St Austol, a disciple of St Mewan. Records show that the village existed around 900 AD when St Austell was a village centred around the parish church. With the discovery of significant amounts of tin in the 18th century, St Austell grew into a town to become one of the largest towns in Cornwall. China clay mining took over from tin and copper mining as the principal industry in the area and this further contributed to the growth of the town. The china clay industry came into its own during the mid-19th to early 20th century, at a time when the falling prices of tin and other metals forced many mines to close down or convert to clay mining. The large china clay waste mounds were known as the Cornish Alps until Nature took over, making a home on the steep slopes of the clay pits across the area.