About
Wheal Martyn is Cornwall's premier china clay heritage centre, set within a restored nineteenth-century clay works in the heart of the St Austell clay country. Established in 1975, the museum and country park tell the extraordinary story of an industry that has shaped the landscape, economy and identity of mid-Cornwall for over two centuries, extracting the fine white kaolin clay used in products from fine china and paper to medicines and cosmetics.
The site occupies a working clay works that closed in the 1930s and has been preserved as an outstanding example of Victorian industrial archaeology. Two massive waterwheel pits, settling tanks, tramways and the original working machinery survive in remarkable condition, allowing visitors to trace the complete china clay production process from the extraction of raw clay from open-cast pits to the final drying and preparation of the white powder for shipping from the port of Charlestown.
The outdoor museum trail winds through 26 acres of country park, encompassing the historic industrial landscape alongside wildflower meadows, woodland and wildlife habitats that have colonised the old clay workings over decades. This combination of industrial heritage and natural regeneration creates one of Cornwall's most distinctive and rewarding visitor experiences — equally fascinating for industrial history enthusiasts and nature lovers.
Indoor galleries tell the human story of the china clay industry, from the dangerous conditions endured by early clay workers to the global trade networks that carried Cornish clay to potteries and paper mills across Europe and beyond. Personal testimonies, photographs and archive film bring the working community of the clay country to life, while interactive displays help younger visitors understand the science and geography of clay formation and extraction.
The broader china clay landscape of mid-Cornwall — with its dramatic white pyramidal tips and turquoise flooded pits — is one of England's most unusual and striking industrial landscapes, and Wheal Martyn provides the essential interpretive key to understanding it. The museum also sits close to the Eden Project, making it a natural complement to a visit to that extraordinary transformation of a former clay pit.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
💡 Visitor Tips
- Wear sturdy waterproof footwear — the outdoor industrial trail covers 26 acres of sometimes uneven and damp terrain.
- Allow at least three hours for a full visit including the outdoor trail and indoor galleries.
- The outdoor trail is best on dry days — some paths can become muddy in wet weather.
- Combine with a visit to the nearby Eden Project, built in a former china clay pit — a natural thematic pairing.
- The Clay Trails cycling network connects Wheal Martyn to St Austell and the wider clay landscape for cyclists.
- Check the website before visiting as the site has seasonal opening — the main season runs Easter through October.
- Dogs are welcome on leads in the country park — a popular choice for dog owners exploring the clay country.
- The café serves locally sourced Cornish produce — plan for a lunch stop mid-visit.
Highlights
Discover the unique exhibits and collections at this museum.
Collections
The Wheal Martyn collection encompasses Victorian industrial machinery, clay processing equipment, archive film and photography, oral history recordings, geological specimens, documentary records of the china clay industry and artefacts relating to clay worker communities across mid-Cornwall. The site itself — a preserved Victorian clay works — is the primary heritage asset.
The China Clay Story
The core indoor exhibition traces the full history of china clay extraction and processing in Cornwall, from eighteenth-century beginnings to the present-day global industry.
Clay Workers: Lives and Communities
Personal stories, archive photography and oral history recordings explore the lives of the people who worked in the clay industry and the distinctive communities of mid-Cornwall.
The Outdoor Industrial Trail
A self-guided trail through the authentic Victorian clay works, passing waterwheels, settling tanks, tramways and drying kilns with interpretation at every station.
China Clay Country Park
Twenty-six acres of country park encompassing wildlife habitats, wildflower meadows and woodland created on the site of former clay workings.
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Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.