Cornwall's China Clay Country

The granite uplands around St Austell in Cornwall have been at the centre of the china clay industry for more than two hundred years yet they remain almost unknown to outsiders. Visitors speeding down the Goss Moor on their way to the beaches and holiday resorts further to the west of the county may be aware of the strange silhouettes and hills of the area yet their thoughts are on the sands and the seaside delights that await them. Retirees may pause on their coastal walks to gaze inland; holiday makers flying into Newquay may wonder briefly what the strangely coloured lakes below might be. Tourists on their way to the Eden Project in coaches may get a commentary on the strange landscape but rarely do they stop and investigate further. Even those who live in other parts of Cornwall have only a vague idea of what goes on in the mines and refineries, the dryers and the ports. Cornwall