St Austell Bay

St Austell Bay is a broad, sheltered stretch of Cornwall’s south coast, enclosed by Gribbin Head to the east and Black Head to the west. Its shoreline moves between rocky headlands, small coves and the wide sands of Par and Carlyon Bay, with St Austell set inland above the water.

The bay’s character has been shaped by the china-clay industry as well as fishing and maritime trade. Historic mineral sediments influenced parts of the shoreline, while Charlestown’s stone harbour remains a striking reminder of the period when copper and china clay moved through the coast’s purpose-built ports.

This Cornwall Prints collection brings together aerial photographs from the beaches, harbours and coastal villages of St Austell Bay, including Charlestown and Duporth. The images explore its turquoise shallows, working quays, wooded cliffs, sandy shores and the changing relationship between sea and town.