The village is four miles (6.5 km) west of St Austell on the southern edge of Cornwall's china clay district.

[1] The parish also contains the villages of Foxhole, Nanpean, Treviscoe and Whitemoor, and the hamlets of Carpalla, Coombe, Currian Vale, High Street, Hornick, Lanjeth, Stepaside and Terras.

[5] The manor of Brannel was recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) when it was held by Robert, Count of Mortain and there were one and a half hides of land.

[11] The work included the painting of the church's high altar panels by the well-known late Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne, brother of the architect.

The cross head was found at Treneague at the end of the 19th century and afterwards attached to a new shaft and set up in the churchyard.

St Stephen grew with the discovery by William Cookworthy of clay deposits in the surrounding area during the 18th century.

[16] Tregargus Quarries to the north west of the churchtown is a Geological Conservation Review site and designated a SSSI in 1951.

[17] The growth of the village meant that it soon sustained many services including a police station, bank and bakery at different times.

[18][19] Amenities in the village include the Brannel Surgery, St Stephen Churchtown Primary School, Brannel School (secondary), a community centre, two public houses, one of these, the King's Arms, has closed and is now a residential home.

In 2012, the postbox outside the post office was painted gold by the Royal Mail to honour local Paralympic swimmer Jonathan Fox.

St Stephen Pantomime Company produce a show annually, which is performed in the community centre hall and can attract audiences of up to 200 people per night.