Truro

Connected to the Carrick Roads, Truro called after Tri-veru meaning three rivers, which includes the rivers Kenwyn and Allen, has developed close to the River Truro and with good road and rail links is within easy reach of almost every part of Cornwall. The arrival of the railway in 1859 confirmed Truro’s status as a regional capital and the granting of city status in 1877 ensured that Truro has remained Cornwall’s commercial and administrative centre. The city’s heritage is as a market town and port dating back over 800 years, booming during the tin mining industry. Although the river around Truro had begun to silt up and Falmouth was taking over as the main seagoing port of the area, the increase in mineral prices during the 18th century saw a revival of Truro’s fortunes. Wealthy merchants and bankers moved into the town and Truro became fashionable within high society, its reputation rivalling that of Bath. A number of picturesque alleyways, or ‘opes’, have survived from Truro’s days as a port and many have colourful names such as Tippet’s Backlet, Burton’s Ope and Squeezeguts Alley. Nowadays the port is mostly used for pleasure cruises along the tributaries of the River Fal to Falmouth and St Mawes. The city is an excellent shopping centre, which comes to life at Christmas with the City of Lights lantern procession, now an established tradition in Truro.

Truro’s most striking feature is the Cathedral, the first cathedral to be constructed on a new site since Salisbury, which commenced building in 1222. With its emphatically pointed arches and elaborate roof vaulting, the airy interior is notable for its Victorian stained glass windows, considered the finest collection in the country. Other treasures include two 14th century statues from Brittany given to Bishop Frere in 1929, the Bath stone reredos behind the high altar, and the terracotta panel Way of the Cross by George Tinworth. The cathedral has three organs, the most famous of these is the Father Willis Organ of 1887 which is widely regarded as one of the finest instruments in the country. Free lunchtime recitals on the famous organ take place every Friday from mid-March to mid-October.

If you are spending any time in the county a visit to the Royal Cornwall Museum, housed in what was the Truro Savings Bank building, provides some essential context to your travels. The museums explores the history of the county from the Stone Age right up to the present day, whilst the art gallery is the home of works by Cornish artist John Opie, Constable and Turner as well as paintings by the Newlyn School of Artists. If you want to delve further into Cornwall’s past and present then the museum’s Courtney Library is an invaluable archive of manuscripts, housing around 150,000 items including, photographs, references works, art books, engravings and ephemera.

Truro is fortunate in having some excellent parks and gardens, Victoria Gardens beside the River Kenwyn, originally created to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, is filled with exotic trees, shrubs and flowers. You would not think you were in the middle of a city, the calm broken only occasionally by a train passing over the majestic granite viaduct nearby. The original viaduct was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1859, but was replaced with the present structure in 1904, and now carries the main line from Paddington to Penzance. 

Beside the Truro River, is Boscawen Park, named after Admiral Edward Boscawen, the younger son of Lord Falmouth, is the city’s main open space with tennis courts, and cricket and football pitches. One of the city’s best-known landmarks is a column commemorating the Lander brothers, Richard and John, who were born in Truro in the first decade of the 19th century. In 1830 Richard was commissioned to go to Africa to try to discover the source of the River Niger, and in 1832 he was awarded the first gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society.

A mile from the city centre, surrounding a private house, are Bosvigo Gardens, beautifully planted with summer herbaceous borders to give the impression of moving from one room to another. The gardens are open from March to the end of September. Truro’s theatre, The Hall for Cornwall, is the largest theatre in Cornwall and can be found at Back Quay, in the heart of the city. A lively programme (of events is offered throughout the year.