Truro
;
Cornish:
Truru) is the only
city within the county of
Cornwall, it is also Cornwall's administrative centre. It is the most southerly city in the
United Kingdom, situated just under 232
miles (374
kilometres) west south-west of
Charing Cross,
London. It has a population of 20,920 [
1].
The city is well-known for its
cathedral, begun in 1879 and finished in 1910. It is also the location of the
Royal Cornwall Museum, Cornwall's Courts of Justice and
Cornwall County Council's New County Hall, a
Grade II listed building. Truro is also the site of a
BT broadband
call centre.
The remains at
Carvossa indicate that there has been settlement in the Truro since at least
Iron Age times. There was also a
Norman castle on one of the hills beside Truro, now the site of the recent award-winning Courts of Justice building (by Eldred Evans and David Shalev, who also designed the
Tate St Ives building).
Truro rose to prominence as a
market town and port during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. However with the decline of the
fishing and
tin mining industries, Truro's role has shifted to being the cultural and commercial capital of Cornwall. Truro's present buildings are mostly
Georgian era or later, a result of its role as a
stannary town during the height of the mining industry in West Cornwall.
Truro is located in the centre of Cornwall on the confluence of the rivers Kenwyn and Allen. The name Truro is thought to mean 'three rivers' in reference to the Kenwyn, the Allen and the now tiny Glasteinan. Truro has experienced problems with
flooding in the past, in particular
1988 saw two '100 year' floods. These problems arose due to high rain fall swelling the rivers and a spring tide in the
River Fal. More recently
flood defenses have been constructed, including an emergency dam and a tidal barrier, to prevent future problems.
Truro is
twinned with:
*
Boppard,
Germany*
Morlaix,
Brittany,
France.
Educational institutions in Truro include:
*
Truro School - a
public school founded in 1880.
*
Truro High School - a
public school for girls, ages 3-18.
*
Penair School - a
state school, co-educational, for children aged 11-16.
*
Richard Lander School - a
state school, co-educational, for children aged 11-16.
*
Truro College - A further and higher education college — one of the few found in Cornwall — opened in 1993.
The
West Cornwall Railway opened a terminus at Highertown on
25 August 1852, from where trains ran to
Redruth and
Penzance. The line was extended down to the river at Newham on
16 April 1855.
The
Cornwall Railway brought their line from
Plymouth to a new station above the town at Carvedras on
4 May 1859, crossing high above the streets on two viaducts:
Truro (above the town centre) and
Carvedras. The West Cornwall Railway now diverted most of its passenger trains to the new station, leaving Newham mainly as a goods station until it closed on
6 November 1971. The route from Highertown to Newham is now a cycle path which takes a leisurely loop through the countryside on the south side of the city.
The Cornwall Railway extended its line to
Falmouth on
24 August 1863.
|
A mid-90s view of Lemon Quay. It has since been redeveloped into an Italian piazza-style open space. |
Future development in Truro includes a new football stadium and training facilities and a youth academy for Truro City FC. This will be built to the north of the city at Kenwyn. Truro Golf Club is also moving to a new site at Polwhele to make way for 2,500 new homes to be built next to the biggest estate in the Carrick Area, Malabar . Many locals believe these new homes will have a crippling effect on the city's roads, which are already stretched to their limit, and are often gridlocked in the summer and at the late night shopping periods . There is also planned construction of a new building on Lemon Quay, however some people who live in the city have opposed the plans saying the building would obstruct the view of the river
[West Briton, June 2006 ].
16th century
*
Giles Farnaby — a madrigalist of the Elizabethan age..
18th century
*
Edward Boscawen — an admiral of the
Royal Navy. The cobbled street at the centre of Truro is named in his honor, as was a recently closed-down pub.
19th century
*
Richard Lemon Lander — an
explorer of
West Africa. A local
secondary school is named in his honour and a monument to his memory stands at the top of Lemon Street.
20th century
*
Matthew Etherington — a professional
football player playing for
West Ham United — an
East London club.
*
Henry Louis Gibson — an expert in medical uses of
infrared and pioneer of its use in detecting
breast cancer.
*
Nick Nieland —
Commonwealth Games javelin gold medalist.
*
Jemma Simpson — 800m athlete
*
Barbara Joyce West — Oldest remaining (out of two) Titanic survivor.
*
Tom Voyce — an English rugby union footballer who plays at wing or fullback for the
London Wasps and England.
*
Diocese of Truro*
Edward Boscawen*
List of topics related to Cornwall*
Richard Lemon Lander*
River Truro*
Truro Cathedral*
Photographs of Truro*
Truro Town site*
Mr Spry - Notes on the Dominican Friary and St Mary's Church, Truro, 1840
