Situated just on the outskirts of St Austell, St Austell Brewery Visitor Centre tells the story of the Brewery's history from its early beginnings right up to the present. The Visitor Centre, Shop & Museum is situated on a hill with a gradual approach.
The museum is located on the second floor with lift access from the first floor. Explore St Austell Brewery's Visitor Centre and learn the fascinating story of our pubs, our beers, our wines and spirits and the Cornish families who created them over the years. Walk through the Victorian Brewery and experience the whole brewing process. End your tour at the Hicks Bar for some essential product sampling of our award winning ales.
Please note that we brew our beers Monday to Friday (mornings).
The Hicks Bar at the Visitor Centre is an ideal spot for fresh, good value, homemade lunches, sandwiches and bar snacks. Food is served between 8.30am and 6pm, which includes pub grub, daily specials, cakes, sandwiches and more. We also serve an extensive range of Tea & Coffee from our Brewer & Bean range and a selection of St Austell Ales.
The shop sells a range of St Austell Brewery's beer and wine selection, as well as clothing and souvenirs. The Wine/ Beer warehouse is situated on the ground floor with access by lift from the Museum or Wheelchair lift from the Car Park.
We look forward to welcoming you. If you have any queries or require any assistance please phone 01726 66022 or email vcentre@staustellbrewery.co.uk.
Opening Times: Monday to Saturday, 8.30am to 7pm. The Brewing Experience is run from 9am and 5.30pm (last ticket purchase 5.30pm)
Directions
By Car: Approaching St Austell town centre from all directions, follow the brown tourist signs for St Austell Brewery Visitor Centre. For Sat-Nav users the Brewery's postcode is PL25 4BY.
By Train: The Brewery and Visitor Centre is a short 5-minute walk uphill from St Austell’s main rail and bus station. For more information on rail services visit First Great Western, and for more information on bus services visit First Group.
By Taxi: For accessible, local bookings call either Gary's Taxi's 01726 879045 or Star Cars 01726 66636 (foldable chairs only).
The Visitor Centre provides a large free-of-charge customer car park with 52 spaces and 2 designated disabled parking areas which are clearly signed.
Entrance to the Visitor Centre is by way of an exterior concrete staircase with 8 steps & 2 handrails into the Wine Warehouse and Gift Shop. Customers who are unable to, or prefer not to use the staircase may use the wooden ramp which also access the front entrance.
The main entrance is situated on the first floor accessible up 8 concrete steps with 2 handrails or by using the wooden ramp.
The Entrance is step free, level access, throughout.
The floor surface is painted concrete.
The area is evenly and well lit with overhead lighting from spot lights.
There is a wooden welcome/ticketing desk.
There is background music in the Restaurant & Shop Areas.
Lift to first floor is accessible via a walkway (very slight ramp down) - the lift has sliding doors and is accessible for wheelchair users.
The new interactive Brewing Experience is a guided tour that is suitable for those with disabilities and children.
Interpretation boards are all in large text, and some have pictorial representation where applicable.
We encourage people to touch most objects that are not cased in the Museum.
There are articles held in glass cabinets (most are upright). Some of these are vertical and may not be visible if the eye line is below 115cm.
There is a Heavy Glass Door (2 doors) separating the Museum from the Restaurant area. Staff can help on request, please ask as you pass through the entrance area. There is a carpeted ramp leading up to these double doors.
The Museum area is exclusively lit by LED Display lighting. Some areas have reduced light levels.
The floor surface in the museum is wooden.
If the Fire Alarm is activated there is also a red strobe light that will flash to indicate this.
Public toilets are located on the second floor within the Museum Area with access from the main entrance, restaurant area via the slight carpeted slope. The toilet is a unisex accessible toilet, not locked with a RADAR and is described below:
A light, easy open door 743mm/29.31ins wide.
753mm/29.6ins transfer space to the left when facing the toilet.
The toilet height is 484mm/19.1ins.
There are vertical rails either side of both basin and toilet.
There is a horizontal rail on the side wall adjacent to the toilet.
Toilet and washbasins are white.
An emergency alarm pull cord.
The toilets are well lit with fluorescent tube overhead lighting.
The flooring is non-slip laminate.
There is a lever tap on the sinks.
The restaurant and café are situated on the second floor and have step-free level access throughout. It can be accessed from the lower areas from either the passenger lift situated in the Museum or up 16 wooden stairs.
The entrance doors to the restaurant from the museum or double & heavy glass are 1325mm/52.2ins wide.
Tables in the restaurant and café are well spaced apart, with a clear height from the floor of (average height) 700mm/28ins, with a mixture of upright chairs with and without arms, some soft furnished chairs.
Lighting is predominately LED or energy-efficient.
The flooring in the restaurant is wood with a slate finish in front of the bar area.
Where possible all our food produce is locally sourced. We do our best to cater for any dietary requirements; please contact us in advance to check any specific requests you may have. Please see the menu or specials boards for more information. If you have any food or drink allergies or intolerances please talk to a member of staff before placing your order – thank you!
Please order at the bar, however, staff can assist on request.
Specials of the day are shown on a blackboard. All staff can assist by running through menus with you.
Crockery is colour contrasted with the table where possible.
The nearest public toilet with an accessible WC is located near the museum approximately 9600mm / 384ins from the restaurant.
There is a low counter bar in this area.
There is a gift shop with a range of branded clothing, St Austell Ales, souvenirs and gifts etc. which can be accessed directly from the main entrance/ticketing area.
There are two sets of wooden doors to the shop 1612mm/93.51ins wide and open with an automated push pad.
The shop is level throughout.
There is ample room within the shop for a large wheelchair to manoeuvre and turn.
There are tall clothing display racks and a central display of St Austell Brewery Ales at low level accessible from a seated position.
There is background music playing.
Staff can offer assistance if required.
There is a passenger lift to take our guests from the shop to the museum suitable for 10 persons or one wheelchair and 2 other passengers.
There is a wooden ramp with decking grip from the Visitor Centre Car park to the shop/entrance.
Address (Inc postcode): Visitor Centre St Austell Brewery Co Ltd 63 Trevarthian Road St Austell Cornwall PL25 4BY
Telephone: 01726 66022
Email: vcentre@staustellbrewery.co.uk
Website: www.staustellbrewery.co.uk/visitor-centre
Grid Reference: SX 01714 52829
Hours Of Operation: 8.30am to 7pm - Mon to Sat
Local Equipment Hire: J & P Healthcare Llp, St Austell, 01726 624060
Local Accessible Taxi: Gary's Taxi's 01726 879045 / Star Cars 01726 66636 (foldable chairs only)
Local Public Transport:
By Rail/Bus: The Brewery and Visitor Centre is a short 5-minute walk uphill from St Austell’s main rail and bus station. For more information on rail services visit First Great Western, and for more information on bus services visit First Group. Arrive with a valid rail/bus ticket (dated for the day of your visit) and receive a £1 discount from the tour admission price. For more information on this offer please visit Public Transport in Cornwall. For help with planning your journey to the Visitor Centre via public transport, and for transport links please visit Transport Direct.