Truro (/ˈtrʊəroʊ/ⓘ;Cornish:Truru)[3] is a cathedral city andcivil parish inCornwall, England. It is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, and lies 232 miles (373 km) west-south-west ofLondon. It is Cornwall'scounty town, only city, and a centre for administration, leisure and shopping. At the2021 census the population of the parish was 21,046 and the population of the built up area as defined by theOffice for National Statistics (which included theGloweth andTreliske areas in the neighbouring parish ofKenwyn) was 23,060.
Truro's name may derive from theCornishtri-veru meaning "three rivers", but authorities such as theOxford Dictionary of English Place Names have doubts about the "tru" meaning "three". An expert on Cornish place-names,Oliver Padel, inA Popular Dictionary of Cornish Place-names, called the "three rivers" meaning "possible".[4] Alternatively the name may come fromtre-rhwïereu "the town on the rivers",tre-vur "the town on the (Roman) road",tri-ru "three streets", ortre-uro or similar, i.e. settlement on the riverUro.[5][6][full citation needed]
A castle was built in the 12th century byRichard de Luci, Chief Justice of England in the reign ofHenry II, who for court services was granted land in Cornwall, including the area round the confluence of the two rivers. The town grew below the castle and gained borough status from further economic activity. The castle has long disappeared.[7]
Richard de Lucy fought in Cornwall under Count Alan of Brittany after leaving Falaise late in 1138. The smalladulterine castle at Truro, Cornwall, originally the parish of Kenwyn, later known as "Castellum de Guelon", was probably built by him in 1139–1140. He styled himself "Richard de Lucy, de Trivereu". The castle passed toReginald FitzRoy, an illegitimate son of Henry I, when he was invested by King Stephen as the first Earl of Cornwall. Reginald married Mabel FitzRichard, daughter of William FitzRichard, a major landholder in Cornwall. The 75-foot (23 m)-diameter castle was in ruins by 1270 and the motte was levelled in 1840. TodayTruro Crown Court stands on the site. In a charter of about 1170, Reginald FitzRoy confirmed to Truro's burgesses the privileges granted by Richard de Lucy. Richard held tenknights' fees in Cornwall before 1135. At his death the county still accounted for a third of his considerable total holding.[8]
By the early 14th century Truro was a major port, due to an inland location away from invaders, to prosperity from the fishing industry, and to a role as astannary town for assaying and stampingtin and copper from Cornish mines. TheBlack Death brought a traderecession and an exodus that left the town in a very neglected state. Trade and prosperity gradually returned in theTudor period. Local government came in 1589 with a new charter ofElizabeth I giving it an elected mayor and control over the port ofFalmouth.[9]
During theCivil War in the 17th century, Truro raised a sizeable force to fight for the king and a royalist mint was set up. Defeat by Parliamentary troops came after theBattle of Naseby in 1646, when the victorious General Fairfax led his army south-west to relieve Taunton and capture the Royalist-heldWest Country. The Royalist forces surrendered at Truro while leading Royalist commanders, includingLord Hopton, thePrince of Wales,Sir Edward Hyde, andLord Capell, fled to Jersey from Falmouth.[10]
Later in the century, Falmouth gained its own charter, giving rights to its harbour and starting a long rivalry with Truro. The dispute was settled in 1709 with control of theRiver Fal divided between them. The arms of Truro city are "Gules the base wavy of six Argent and Azure, thereon an ancient ship of three masts under sail, on each topmast a banner of St George, on the waves in base two fishes of the second."[11]
Boscawen Street in 1810
Truro prospered in the 18th and 19th centuries through improved mining methods and higher prices for tin, and its consequent attraction to wealthy mine-owners. ElegantGeorgian andVictoriantownhouses of the period can be seen today in Lemon Street, named after the mining magnate and localMember of Parliament SirWilliam Lemon. Truro became the centre for county society, even dubbed "the London of Cornwall".[12]
The Cathedral in 1905, before completion of the spires
Through those prosperous times Truro remained a social centre. Among the many notables wereRichard Lander, the first European explorer to reach the mouth of theRiver Niger in Africa and was awarded the first gold medal of theRoyal Geographical Society, andHenry Martyn, who read mathematics at Cambridge, was ordained and became a missionary, translating the New Testament into Urdu and Persian. Others includeHumphry Davy, educated in Truro and the inventor of theminer's safety lamp, andSamuel Foote, an actor and playwright from Boscawen Street.[13]
Truro was connected to the electric telegraph network in 1863 when theElectric and International Telegraph Company opened stations at Truro, Redruth, Penzance, Camborne, Liskard and St Austell.[15]
Truro lies in the centre of western Cornwall, about 9 miles (14 kilometres) from the south coast, at the confluence of the riversKenwyn andAllen, which combine as theTruro River – one of a series of waterways anddrowned valleys leading into theRiver Fal and then the large natural harbour ofCarrick Roads. The valleys form a steep bowl surrounding the city on the north, east and west, open to the Truro River in the south. This shape, along with high precipitation that swells the rivers and aspring tide in the River Fal, were major factors in the 1988 floods that seriously damaged the city centre. Since then, flood defences have been constructed, including an emergency dam at New Mill on the River Kenwyn and atidal barrier on the Truro River.
The city is amidst several protected natural areas such as the historic parklands atPencalenick and areas of ornamental landscape such asTrelissick Garden andTregothnan down the Truro River. An area south-east of the city, including Calenick Creek, has been included in theCornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Other protected zones include anArea of Great Landscape Value comprising farmland and wooded valleys to the north east, and Daubuz Moors, alocal nature reserve by the River Allen, close to the city centre.
Truro has mainly grown and developed round the historic city centre in a nuclear fashion along the slopes of the bowl valley, except for fastlinear development along theA390 to the west, towardsThreemilestone. As Truro grew, it encompassed other settlements as suburbs or districts, includingKenwyn and Moresk to the north, Trelander to the east, Newham to the south, and Highertown, Treliske and Gloweth to the west.
The Truro area, like the rest of Cornwall, has anoceanic climate. This means fewer extremes in temperature than elsewhere in England, marked by high rainfall, cool summers and mild winters with infrequent frosts.
The Truro urban area, including parts of surrounding parishes, had a 2001 census population of 18,051. By 2011 the population, including Threemilestone, was 20,044. As of 2021, there are 23,047 residents. Its status as the county's prime destination for retail and leisure and administration is unusual in that it is only its fourth most populous settlement.[16] Indeed, population growth at 10.5% between 1971 and 1998 was slow compared with other Cornish towns and Cornwall.[out of date] This trend changed significantly in the 21st century as Truro became one of the fastest growing cities in Cornwall, Truro experienced a year-on-year growth rate of 1.31% (Compared to 0.68% for Cornwall).[17][18]
Truro is notable for having one of the youngest average residents in Cornwall (77.7% under 65).[16][18] 2,773 people (13.4% of the residents) specified a Cornish only identity and 335 (1.6%) Cornish in combination with British - which is consistent the rest of Cornwall (14% and 1.6% respectively).[19] 3,168 households (33.6% of residents) are experiencing deprivation,[20] and 4,744 (20.5%) are retirees.[21]
Major employers include theRoyal Cornwall Hospital,Cornwall Council andTruro College. There are about 22,000 jobs available in Truro, but only 9,500 economically active people living there, which make commuting a major factor in its traffic congestion. Average earnings are higher than elsewhere in Cornwall.[citation needed]
Truro's dominant feature is itsGothic-revivalcathedral, designed by architectJohn Loughborough Pearson, rising 249 ft (76 m) above the city at its highest spire.[22] It was built in 1880–1910 on the site of St Mary's Church, consecrated over 600 years earlier.Georgian architecture is well represented, with terraces and townhouses along Walsingham Place and Lemon Street often said to be "the finest examples of Georgian architecture west of the city ofBath."[23]
The main attraction to the region is a wide variety of shopping facilities. Truro has variouschain stores,speciality shops andmarkets that reflect its history as amarket town. The indoorPannier Market is open all year, with many stalls and small businesses. The city is also popular for catering and night life, with bars, clubs and restaurants. It houses theHall for Cornwall, a performing arts and entertainment venue.[24]
Lemon Quay is the year-round centre of most festivities in Truro.
In April, Truro prepares to partake in theBritain in Bloom competition, with floral displays and hanging baskets dotted around the city throughout the summer. A continental market comes to Truro in the holiday-making season, featuring food and craft stalls from France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece and elsewhere.
The Truro City Carnival, held every September over a weekend, includes various arts and music performances, children's activities, afireworks display, food and drinks fairs, acircus and a parade. Ahalf-marathon, organised by Truro Running Club, also occurs in September; it runs from the city centre into the countryside towards Kea, returning to finish at Lemon Quay.
Truro's Christmas includes a Winter Festival with aCity of Lightspaper lantern parade. Local schools, colleges, and community and youth groups join in.[25][26]
Truro Fencing Club is a national flagship, having won numerous national championships and supplied three fencers for Team GB at theLondon 2012 Olympics.[30]
Other sports amenities include aleisure centre, golf course and tennis courts.
Truro has been a centre forCornish wrestling for centuries.[31][32][33] Before the formation of the Cornish Wrestling Association, the tournaments in Truro were often described as theGreat County Wrestling Matches[34] and, with winners getting money prizes or silver medals,[35][36] silver cups[37][38] and silver belts.[39][40] A large number of venues have been used throughout Truro, including various inns which put on tournaments such as the White Hart Inn,[41] Western Inn,[42] Ship Inn[43] and Victoria Inn.[44]
John Lander was a noted wrestler during the late 1700s and early 1800s. He was landlord of the Fighting Cocks Inn in Truro and was the father of the famous explorersJohn Lander andRichard Lander.[46]
Amummers play text ascribed until recently toMylor, Cornwall (quoted in studies of folk plays such asThe Mummers Play by R. J. E. Tiddy – published posthumously in 1923 – andThe English Folk-Play (1933) by E. K. Chambers), has now been shown by genealogical and other research to have originated in Truro about 1780.[47][48]
The traditionalNine Lessons and Carols at Christmas originated in Truro in 1880, when its bishop,Edward White Benson, began to provide chances for evening singing of carols before Christmas Day, often on Christmas Eve.[49]
TheHall for Cornwall, which houses a theatre and the headquarters of Truro City Council
There are two tiers of local government covering Truro, atparish (city) andunitary authority level: Truro City Council andCornwall Council. The city council is based at the Municipal Buildings on Boscawen Street, also known as City Hall. The Municipal Buildings form part of theHall for Cornwall building (built 1846), which also houses a theatre.[50][51] Cornwall Council is also based in Truro, having its headquarters atLys Kernow on Treyew Road.[52]
The borough boundary initially covered the parish of Truro St Mary and parts of the neighbouring parishes ofSt Clement andKenwyn, including Kenwyn village.[53][57] In 1832 the constituency was enlarged to take in additional areas from both St Clement and Kenwyn parishes.[58] The borough was reformed to become amunicipal borough in 1836 under theMunicipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. The municipal boundaries were enlarged to match the constituency as part of the same reforms.[59] The 1836 reforms also gave Truro responsibility for policing in the borough, leading to the creation of the Truro Borough Police, renamedTruro City Police in 1877. The force was merged intoCornwall County Constabulary in 1921.
TheDiocese of Truro was established in 1876. The borough council then petitionedQueen Victoria to grant city status to Truro, which was granted byletters patent dated 28 August 1877.[60] The borough boundaries were enlarged again in 1934, taking in areas east and west of the city.[61]
The borough of Truro was abolished in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, when the area became part of theCarrick district.[62][63] Asuccessor parish called Truro was created at the same time, covering the area of the abolished borough.[64] The city status previously held by the borough was transferred to the new parish of Truro, allowing the parish council to take the name Truro City Council.[65][66]
Carrick district was abolished in 2009. Cornwall County Council then took on district-level functions, making it a unitary authority, and was renamed Cornwall Council.[67][68]
The primary function of counties until the 19th century was the administration of justice. Cornwall's senior courts, theassizes, were generally held atLaunceston until 1838. A new courthouse,Shire Hall, opened inBodmin in 1838 for hosting the assizes and other courts.[69] Bodmin was thereafter described as thecounty town rather than Launceston.[70][71]
When county councils were established in 1889, Cornwall County Council chose to base itself in Truro rather than Bodmin. Since the separation of administrative and judicial functions in 1889, there has been no single official definition of 'county town'. Truro has been the seat of local government since 1889, but the county's assizes continued to be held at Shire Hall in Bodmin until assizes were abolished in 1972; since 1972 courts have not been organised on a county basis.[72][73] Shire Hall in Bodmin closed as a courthouse in 1988, when its remaining courts transferred to the newTruro Crown Court on Edward Street.[69][74]
Truro therefore now serves as the administrative centre of Cornwall, has the county's main courthouse, and is also the seat of the Anglican diocese which covers the county. It is commonly described as Cornwall's county town,[75][76] although some sources maintain that Bodmin remains the county town, despite having lost the functions traditionally associated with the role.[77]
Truro is 6 miles (9.7 km) from theA30trunk road, to which it is linked by the A39 from Falmouth andPenryn. Also passing through is the A390 between Redruth to the west andLiskeard to the east, where it joins theA38 forPlymouth,Exeter and theM5 motorway.
The city and surroundings have extensive bus services, provided mainly byFirst Kernow andTransport for Cornwall. Most routes terminate at Truro bus station, near Lemon Quay. A permanentPark and Ride scheme, known asPark for Truro, opened in August 2008. Buses based at Langarth Park inThreemilestone carry commuters into the city via Truro College, theRoyal Cornwall Hospital Treliske, County Hall, the railway station, the Royal Cornwall Museum and Victoria Square, through to a second car park on the east side of the city.[79]
The former Carvedras Viaduct, built in 1859 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
To the north-east of the station is a 28-metre-high (92-foot) stoneviaduct with views over the city, cathedral and Truro river in the distance. The longest viaduct on the line, it replacedIsambard Kingdom Brunel's woodenCarvedras Viaduct in 1904. Connecting to the main line at Truro is theMaritime Line to Falmouth in the south.
The nameplate of preserved Great Western Railway locomotiveCity of Truro, built in 1903
Truro's first railway station, at Highertown, was opened in 1852 by theWest Cornwall Railway (WCR) for trains toRedruth and Penzance; it was known asTruro Road station. It was extended to the Truro river at Newham in 1855, but closed so that Newham served as the terminus. When theCornwall Railway connected the line to Plymouth, its trains ran to the present station above the city centre. The WCR diverted most passenger trains to the new station, leaving Newham mainly as a goods station until it closed in 1971; it became part of theGreat Western Railway. The route from Highertown to Newham is now theNewham Trail, which is ashared-use path on a countryside loop around the south side of the city.
Newquay, Cornwall's main airport, is 12 mi (19 km) north of Truro. In 2017, it was thought to be the "fastest growing airport" in the UK.[83] It has regular flights toLondon Heathrow and other airports includingIsles of Scilly,Dublin andDüsseldorf, Germany.[84]
The Truro river and a ferry transporting passengers to Falmouth
There is a boat link to Falmouth along the Truro and Fal four times a day,tide permitting. The fleet run byEnterprise Boats, as part of theFal River Links; it calls on the way atMalpas,Trelissick,Tolverne andSt Mawes.
The old parish church of Truro was St Mary's, which was incorporated into the cathedral in the later 19th century. The building dates from 1518, with a later tower and spire dating from 1769.[10]
Parts of the town were in the parishes ofKenwyn and St Clement (Moresk) until the mid 19th century, when other parishes were created. The loftySt George's church in Truro, designed by Rev. William Haslam, vicar ofBaldhu, was built of Cornish granite in 1855. The parish of St George's Truro was formed from part of Kenwyn in 1846. In 1865 two more parishes were created: St John's from part of Kenwyn and St Paul's from part of St Clement.[85][86] St George's contains a large wall painting behind the high altar, the work of Stephany Cooper in the 1920s. Her father, Canon Cooper, had been a missionary inZanzibar and elsewhere. The theme of the mural is "Three Heavens": the first heaven has views of Zanzibar and its cathedral (a happy period in the life of the artist), the second views of the city of Truro including the cathedral, the railway viaduct and St George's Church (another happy period), and the third, above the others, separated from them by the River of Life (Christ is seen bridging the river and 17 saints includingSt Piran and St Kenwyn are depicted).[87]
Charles William Hempel was organist of St Mary's Church for 40 years from 1804 and also taught music. In 1805 he composed and printedPsalms from the New Version for the use of the Congregation of St. Mary's, and in 1812Sacred Melodies for the same congregation. These melodies gained popularity.
The oldest church in Truro is atKenwyn, on the northern side. It dates from the 14th and 15th centuries, but was almost wholly rebuilt in 1820, having deteriorated to the point where it was deemed unsafe.[88]
St John's Church (dedicated to St John the Evangelist) was built in 1828 (architect P. Sambell) in the Classical style on a rectangular plan and with a gallery. Alterations were carried out in the 1890s.
St Paul's Church was built in 1848. The chancel was replaced in 1882–1884, the new chancel being the work ofJ. D. Sedding. The tower is "broad and strong" (Pevsner) and the exterior of the aisles are ornamented in Sedding's version of the Perpendicular style.[89] In the parish of St Paul is the formerConvent of the Epiphany (Anglican) at Alverton House, Tregolls Road, an early 19th-century house extended for the convent of the Community of the Epiphany and the chapel was built in 1910 byEdmund H. Sedding.[89] The sisterhood was founded by the Bishop of Truro,George Howard Wilkinson in 1883 and closed in 2001 when two surviving nuns moved into care homes. The sisters had been involved in pastoral and educational work and care of the cathedral and St Paul's Church.[90] St Paul's Church, built with a tower on a river bed with poor foundations, has fallen into disrepair and is no longer used. Services are now held at the churches of St Clement, St George, and St John. St Paul and St Clement form a united benefice, as do St George and St John.
Truro has many proposed urban development schemes, most of which are intended to counter the main problems, notablytraffic congestion and lack ofhousing.
Major proposals include construction of adistributor road to carry traffic away from the busy Threemilestone-Treliske corridor, reconnecting at Penventinnie Lane. This will serve the new housing planned for that area.[93]
Changes proposed for the city centre include traffic restrictions in some of the main shopping streets and the encouragement of conversion of appropriate commercial properties back to residential use.[93]
Re-development of the former Carrick District Council site at the top of Pydar Street will provide much needed homes, and facilitate the relocation to Truro of a faculty of the University of Falmouth, as well as creating space for a hotel, restaurants, leisure facilities, open spaces and public amenities.[93] Langarth Garden Village, a major development aiming to provide homes for 8000-10000 residents, has begun construction.[94] This includes a new access road for the development, which is being delivered alongside the A30 improvements scheme.[95]
Along with redevelopment of the waterfront, atidal barrier is planned to dam water into the Truro River, which is currently blighted by mud banks that appear atlow tide.[93]
More controversial plans include the construction of an urban extension at Langarth, to the west of the city, including a new stadium for Truro City F.C. and the Cornish Pirates, and perhaps eventually the relocation of the city'sgolf course to make way for more housing. A smaller project is the addition of two large sculptures in the Piazza.[96]
Owen Fitzpen (1552–1636), philanthropist and merchant seaman, led a successful slave revolt in 1627 to free captives ofBarbary pirates, memorialised on a plaque in St Mary's Church.
Richard Lemon Lander (1804–1834), explorer in West Africa.[113] A local secondary school is named in his honour and a monument to his memory stands at the top of Lemon Street.[114]
William Golding (1911–1993), novelist, playwright and poet, gained theNobel Prize in Literature in 1983. Born in St Columb Minor, he returned to live near Truro in 1985.
^The charter from Reginald is not dated, but later authorities have deduced from the names of the charter's witnesses that it must have been issued around 1166.[54]
^"2021 Census Parish Profiles".NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved31 March 2025. (To get individual parish data, use the query function on table PP002.)
^O. J. Padel (1988).A Popular Dictionary of Cornish Place-names. Penzance: A. Hodge.ISBN0-906720-15-X.
^Charnock, Richard Stephen (1870).Patronymica Cornu-Britannica: or, the Etymology of Cornish Surnames. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer. p. 150.ISBN9781165533398.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
^"The Queen agrees... Truro is still a city".West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser. Truro. 31 January 1974. p. 10. Retrieved10 September 2025....in a letter from the Home Office... the Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the grant of the title and dignity of a city to the parish of Truro with effect from 1 April 1974...
^Sara Gray (2019).British Women Artists. A Biographical Dictionary of 1000 Women Artists in the British Decorative Arts. Dark River.ISBN978-1-911121-63-3.
^"Catherine GRUBB".Cornwall Artists.Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved22 December 2020.
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