Cornwall was once the centre of the tin and china clay trades. Indeed, many towns became rich on mining the raw materials. St. Austell, one of Cornwall’s largest urban settlements, was once the centre of china clay mining. It’s the nearest town to famous ecopark Eden Project, It’s close to Bodmin town and Moor too. But St Austell has an important history of its own. Repairs are scheduled for some of its most important historic buildings. A St Austell Rejuvenation Grant worth £900,000 has just been allocated. Cornwall Council has identified some 53 buildings in need of urgent care.
By Adrian Read (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
About the St Austell Rejuvenation Grant
The St Austell rejuvenation grant from HLF Townscape Heritage will work with local businesses and owners to repair and improve the town’s historic structures. The county council, town council and BID supplied a further £80,000. The two councils submitted the bid, referring to the town’s many empty and dilapidated buildings. Many of them are in good condition and could easily and safely brought into working use with a few repairs. Buildings in Church Street, Duke Street, Fore Street, High Cross Street, Market Street and Trevarthian Road are scheduled for repair over the coming years.
However, part of the St Austell rejuvenation grant will fund training restoration professionals of the future. The local college expects to use some of the cash to train students in preserving the town’s buildings. New courses will cover architecture, surveying and sustainable building. Naturally, this money expects to improve local employment and investment. Plans are now under way and the whole scheme – from planning to renovation, should take four years. It will source opinions from local people, businesses, owners and many others to create a town centre to inspire pride in everyone.