St. Austell sits on the south coast of Cornwall in England and is one of the county’s larger towns, historically shaped by the china‑clay industry whose pits and pale waste tips still mark the surrounding countryside. The town grew as a market and industrial centre, with nearby Charlestown harbour once important for shipping clay; traces of mining and Victorian architecture remain alongside newer retail and transport links on the Cornish main routes.
In recent decades the local economy has shifted towards tourism and services, helped by major attractions in the area such as the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan, while beaches and coastal villages like Pentewan are popular with visitors. There’s a strong local identity - Cornish culture, festivals, local breweries and community events all play a part - so the town mixes industrial heritage with an increasingly visitor‑focused, community‑led regeneration.
Postcode districts covering St. Austell
Most populated places nearby
- Redruth 21.3 miles
- Falmouth 18.7 miles
- Truro 13.8 miles
- Camborne 24.6 miles
- Newquay 13.6 miles
- Saltash 24.9 miles
- Bodmin 8.7 miles
Neighbouring places
- St. Austell Poltair & Mount Charles Ward 0.3 miles
- St. Austell Bethel & Holmbush Ward 0.6 miles
- St. Austell Central & Gover Ward 0.8 miles
- Carlyon Parish 1.4 miles
- Duporth Built-up area 1.4 miles
- Penwithick & Boscoppa Ward 1.4 miles
- Carlyon Bay Built-up area 1.6 miles
- St. Austell Bay Parish 1.8 miles
- Trewoon Built-up area 1.8 miles
- Penwithick Built-up area 1.9 miles
- Treverbyn Parish 2 miles
- Tregrehan Mills Built-up area 2.1 miles
Example postcodes in St. Austell
PL25 3DD, PL25 4HW, PL25 5QG, PL25 4EW, PL25 4RY, PL25 3GF, PL25 4LP, PL25 4PE, PL25 5FA … See all
Transport links
- Newquay Cornwall Airport 11.6 miles
- Exeter International Airport 65.7 miles
- St Austell Railway Station 0.5 miles
- Par Railway Station 3.4 miles
Hotels in St. Austell Ad
- Rashleigh Arms 4
- The Waterwheel 4
- Travelodge St Austell 3
- Pier House
- The White Hart Hotel 3
- Antonia's Pearls 5
- Premier Inn St. Austell 3
- Duke of Cornwall
Schools in St. Austell
- Bishop Bronescombe C of E School Primary
- Carclaze Community Primary School Primary
- Cornwall College Further education
- Mount Charles School Primary
- Penrice Academy Secondary
- Pondhu Primary School Primary
- Sandy Hill Academy Primary
Local points of interest
- Charlestown Harbour Harbour 1.4 miles
- Eden Project Gardens 2 miles
- Pentewan Beach Beach 4.2 miles
- The Lost Gardens of Heligan Gardens 4.4 miles
- Fowey Harbour Harbour 6.5 miles
- Vault Beach Beach 7.7 miles
- Hemmick Beach Beach 8.1 miles
- Boconnoc Estate 8.7 miles
- Lansallos Beach Beach 8.9 miles
- Polperro Harbour Heritage Museum Museum 11.6 miles
- Polperro Harbor Harbour 11.6 miles
- Pencalenick Estate 11.8 miles