Truro
OS Grid ref:- SW 825445
The only city in the entire county of Cornwall, Truro stands amidst roling green hills where the Kenwyn and Allen rivers combine to become the Truro River.
The city has a colourful history which stretches back over 900 years. The earliest records and archaeological findings of a permanent settlement in the Truro area originate from Norman times. The name derives from a castle Normans founded on the site by Richard de Luci, Chief Justice of England , which now no longer exists. The Cornish 'Tre Ru' translates as castle on the water, although an alternative theory is that the name is derived from the "three streets" - Tru-ru. By the beginning of the fourteenth century, Truro had developed into an important port and tin mining centre.
Most of the town centre is Georgian, Regency or Victorian. Lemon Street is a particularly attractive street sand is lined with handsome Georgian houses. The street sweeps up from the river to the granite memorial to the West African explorer Richard Lander, one of Truro's most famous sons. The Royal Cornwall Museum in River Street, is well worth a visit and houses a geological collection along with other highly interesting exhibits relating to Cornwall's past.
The city has a wide variety of shops, including chain stores, speciality shops and markets, the indoor Pannier Market is open year-round with many stalls and small businesses. Truro offewrs a wide range of accomodation to suit all budgets.
Pleasure cruises are available along the River Fal to Falmouth and St. Mawes.
Truro Cathedral
Truro Cathedral was built at the turn of the 19th century in the Victorian Gothic style and has two 250' towers and an elegant spire. It took thirty years to construct , from 1880 to 1910, and was built on the site of the old St. Mary's Church, consecrated over 600 years earlier. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII laid the foundation stone in 1880. The cathedral was the first to be built in Britain since St. Paul's in the seventeenth century and is a very unusual building.
The south aisle is the only surviving part of the old St. Mary's church, said to be one of the best examples of medieval architecture in Cornwall. It is typically Cornish with its granite walls and timber barreled roof.
Places of Interest
*The Royal Cornwall Museum in River Street houses a geological collection along with other highly interesting exhibits relating to Cornwall's past, including archaeology, mining and natural history, the museum also contains artefacts from ancient Egypt and Japan.
*The Hall for Cornwall is now the principal entertainment centre for the county and hosts operas and ballets.
*Bosvigo three acres of mainly herbaceous gardens which are best seen in summer. Open March - Sept, Thurs - Sat, 11am - 6pm.
*Trewithen Gardens Grampound Road, near Truro. Rare trees and shrubs, plants for sale. Open March - Sept, Mon - Sat, 10am - 4.30pm, and Sun in April and May.