Hensbarrow Beacon

Hensbarrow is a natural region in the county of Cornwall, England, UK, that has been recognized as National Character Area 154 by Natural England. Hensbarrow is an upland region covering an area of just under 12,000 hectares immediately north of St Austell. It is bounded in the north by the A30 road and runs from Retew and Treviscoe in the west to Redmoor and Penpillick in the east. It is the remnant of a much larger exposed and windswept heather moorland. Its lower, more sheltered areas are covered by irregular livestock fields enclosed by Cornish hedges of stone walls, with scattered hamlets and farmsteads. China clay pits, sand tips and mica dams occupy much of the central area. Its highest point is Hensbarrow Beacon (1025 ft).

St Austell Clay Pits, (Cornwall, England, UK,) are a group of locations within active china clay quarries that form a single Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation, noted for its biological characteristics. In particular, the site is known for the rare western rustwort, a plant that grows only at two other sites in the UK.

Coldvreath is a hamlet south-southwest of Roche in Cornwall, England. It is in the civil parish of Roche.

Carbis is a hamlet 0.9 miles (1.4 km) east of Roche in Cornwall, England. Carbis lies at about 495 feet (151 m) above sea level. Rosemellyn China Clay works lies 0.4 miles (0.64 km) north-east of Carbis. In the 19th century the mining of china clay was an important industry around St Austell indeed the area has the nickname of the "china clay country". The Rosemellyn China Clay company went into liquidation in 1918. A short railway branch line (now dismantled) ran from Carbis Wharf to the sidings at nearby Bugle as part of the Cornwall Minerals Railway.

Roche (, "roach"; Cornish: Tregarrek, meaning homestead of the rock) is a civil parish and village in mid-Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village gets its name from the 20-metre (66-foot) high Roche Rock, a quartz-schorl outcrop east of the village. Roche is the Norman-French word for Rock. The parish population at the 2011 census including Belowda, Bilberry, Carbis, Coldvreath and Criggan is 3,381, and the ward population at the same census was 3,867.Nearby are the towns of Bodmin and St Austell, as well as the Eden Project. The civil servant Charles Knight was born in Roche and Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Matthew Taylor retired there.

Greensplat is a location in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is immediately west of Carthew and is approximately two miles (3 km) north of St Austell. According to the Post Office the 2011 census population was included in the civil parish of Treverbyn. Greensplat is situated in the china clay area and the name is believed to be derived from Green's Plat, referring to a mine shaft nearby that was known as "the Plat". Greensplat is sometimes erroneously spelled Greensplatt.

The Gover Stream (Cornish: Gover, meaning stream) is an approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long stream located in mid south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The source of the stream is at the north eastern side of Blackpool China clay pit at grid reference SW 980 540 . The stream flows south east through the Gover Valley into the town of St Austell where it joins the St Austell River or "White River". The Gover Stream is the first of the two largest tributaries of the St Austell River. Rivers in the area have problems with china clay waste materials, mostly kaolinite, entering the rivers and turning them white. This led to the locally named "White River". (Kaolinite is not a waste material of the quarrying process, but economically not all of the kaolin can be extracted). Suspended particles in the stream are reduced by approximately 98% by settling tanks at the beginning of the river. This reduces the energy of the water in the tanks and allows suspended particles to be deposited and later dredged by diggers. Several disused china clay dries are located along the stream showing its past industrial importance. There were also plans to extend the Pentewan railway along the valley from St Austell, but they did not come to fruition. Recently the Gover Valley has been under threat due to a plan to use the valley as a tipping site for china clay waste. Waste is a huge problem in the area as for every tonne of kaolinite produced there are on average nine tonnes of waste materials produced; this amounts to approximately 20 million tonnes of waste materials per year. An area of 1 square kilometre (250 acres) is planned to be tipped on which would destroy the upper section of the Gover Stream as well as ancient farmland and woodland. The tip will be landscaped once completed.

The Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum is a museum of china clay mining, at Carthew, on the B3274 road about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of St Austell in Cornwall, England. A Victorian clay works has been preserved, and there is an exhibition building.

Gracca is a hamlet in Cornwall, England. It is about half a mile west of Bugle. According to the Post Office the 2011 census population was included in the civil parish of Pentewan Valley.

Carnsmerry is a hamlet in Cornwall, England. It is half a mile south-west of Bugle and lies at around 520 feet (160 m) above sea level. Carnsmerry is in the civil parish of Treverbyn.

Bugle is a village in mid Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in the parish of Treverbyn and is situated about five miles (8 km) north of St Austell on the A391 road. The 2011 Census for the ward of Bugle which includes Treverbyn and surrounding hamlets gave a population of 4,164.The village was established in the mid 19th century following the construction of: a turnpike road in 1836–7; the Bugle Inn in 1840; and the Par to Bugle section of the Treffry Tramways in 1842.The village has a railway station on the Atlantic Coast Line. Bugle F.C. were South Western League champions in 1984/85. The Bugle Silver Band has been in existence since 1868 and has been successful in many regional competitions.There are plans to build a new neighbourhood on the site of the Goonbarrow Refinery west of the village as part of the St Austell and Clay Country Eco-town. This would include 450-550 homes. The plan was given outline approval in July 2009.

Treverbyn is a civil parish and village in mid-Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The church of St Peter is modern as the medieval chapel was closed at the time of the Reformation. The parish was formed from part of St Austell parish in 1847. Treverbyn parish includes the villages of Treverbyn, Carclaze, Stenalees, Penwithick, Bugle (the largest of these), Rescorla, Kerrow Moor, Carthew, Ruddlemoor, Bowling Green, Resugga Green, Scredda and parts of Trethurgy. The parish population at the 2011 census including Carluddon, Greensplatt, Knightor, Lavrean and Lower Menadue was 8,016.Hensbarrow Beacon near Stenalees is the highest point of the St Austell Downs. There is a railway station at Bugle.