Truro (; ) is a

cathedral city City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the the Crown, monarch of the United Kingdom to specific centres of population, which might or might not meet the generally accepted definition of city, cities. , there are List of cities in the Un ...

and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. It is Cornwall's

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...

, sole city and a centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its population was 18,766 in the 2011 census. People of Truro are called Truronians. It grew as a trade centre through its port and as a

stannary A stannary was an administrative division established under stannary law in the English counties of Cornwall and Devon to manage the collection of tin coinage, which was the duty payable on the metal tin smelted from cassiterite ore Mining in Co ...

town for

tin mining Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm. History Tin extraction and use ca ...

. It became mainland Britain's southernmost city in 1876, with the founding of the

Diocese of Truro The Diocese of Truro (established 1876) is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury which covers Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and a small part of Devon. The bishop's seat is at Truro Cathedral. Geography and history The d ...

. It is home to

Cornwall Council Cornwall Council ( ), known between 1889 and 2009 as Cornwall County Council (), is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary ...

, the

Royal Cornwall Museum The Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, formerly known as the Royal Cornwall Museum, is a museum in Truro, England, which holds an extensive mineral collection rooted in Cornwall's mining and engineering heritage (including much of the mineral coll ...

Truro Cathedral The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Truro, Cornwall. It was built between 1880 and 1910 to a Gothic Revival design by John Loughborough Pearson on the site of the parish church of St Mary. His ...

, the

Hall for Cornwall The Hall for Cornwall, known as Truro City Hall until 1997, is an events venue in Boscawen Street in Truro, Cornwall, England. The building, which was previously the headquarters of Truro City Council, is a Grade II* listed building. History T ...

and Cornwall's Courts of Justice.

Toponymy

Truro's name may derive from the Cornish ''tri-veru'' meaning "three rivers", but authorities such as the ''Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names'' have doubts about the "tru" meaning "three". An expert on Cornish place-names,

Oliver Padel Oliver James Padel (born 31 October 1948 in St Pancras, London, England) is an English Medieval studies, medievalist and Toponymy, toponymist specializing in Welsh and Cornwall, Cornish studies. He is currently Honorary Research Fellow in the D ...

, in ''A Popular Dictionary of Cornish Place-names'', called the "three rivers" meaning "possible". Alternatively the name may come from '' tre-uro'' or similar, i.e. settlement on the river ''Uro''.

History

A castle was built in the 12th century by

Richard de Luci Richard de Lucy, Luci, Lucie, or Lusti (1089– 14 July 1179), also known as Richard the Loyal, was first noted as High Sheriff of Essex, after which he was made Chief Justiciar of England. Life The De Lucy family took its surname from Lucé ...

, Chief Justice of England in the reign of

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

, 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. Richard de Lucy fought in Cornwall under Count Alan of Brittany after leaving Falaise late in 1138. The small

adulterine castle Adulterine castles were fortifications built in England during the 12th century without royal approval, particularly during the civil war of the Anarchy between 1139 and 1154. Details During the civil war of the Anarchy, fought between the fact ...

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 to Reginald 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 -diameter castle was in ruins by 1270 and the motte was levelled in 1840. Today

Truro Crown Court Truro Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Edward Street in Truro, Cornwall, England. It is a Grade II* listed building. History Until the late 1980s, judicial hearings in Truro were held in the old Shire Hal ...

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 ten knights' fees in Cornwall before 1135. At his death the county still accounted for a third of his considerable total holding. 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 a

town for assaying and stamping

tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

and copper from Cornish mines. The

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

brought a trade

recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction that occurs when there is a period of broad decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be tr ...

and an exodus that left the town in a very neglected state. Trade and prosperity gradually returned in the Tudor period. Local government came in 1589 with a new charter of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

giving it an elected mayor and control over the port of Falmouth. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

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 the

Battle of Naseby The Battle of Naseby took place on 14 June 1645 during the First English Civil War, near the village of Naseby in Northamptonshire. The Roundhead, Parliamentarian New Model Army, commanded by Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, Sir Th ...

in 1646, when the victorious General Fairfax led his army south-west to relieve Taunton and capture the Royalist-held

West Country The West Country is a loosely defined area within southwest England, usually taken to include the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Bristol, with some considering it to extend to all or parts of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and ...

. The Royalist forces surrendered at Truro while leading Royalist commanders, including Lord Hopton, the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

, Sir Edward Hyde, and Lord Capell, fled to Jersey from Falmouth. 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 the

River Fal The River Fal () flows through Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordere ...

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." Boscawen 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. Elegant Georgian and

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

townhouses A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residenc ...

of the period can be seen today in Lemon Street, named after the mining magnate and local Member of Parliament Sir

William Lemon Sir William Lemon, 1st Baronet (11 October 1748 – 11 December 1824) was a Member of Parliament for Parliamentary representation from Cornwall, Cornish constituencies from 1770 to 1824, a total of 54 years. Background He was the son of William ...

. Truro became the centre for county society, even dubbed "the London of Cornwall". Through those prosperous times Truro remained a social centre. Among the many notables were

Richard Lander Richard Lemon Lander (8 February 1804 – 6 February 1834) was a British explorer of western Africa. He and his brother John were the first Europeans to follow the course of the River Niger, and discover that it led to the Atlantic. Biogr ...

, the first European explorer to reach the mouth of the

River Niger The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...

in Africa and was awarded the first gold medal of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

, and

Henry Martyn Henry Martyn (18 February 1781 – 16 October 1812) was an Anglican priest and missionary to the peoples of India and Persia. Born in Truro, Cornwall, he was educated at Truro Grammar School and St John's College, Cambridge. A chance e ...

, who read mathematics at Cambridge, was ordained and became a missionary, translating the New Testament into Urdu and Persian. Others include

Humphry Davy Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet (17 December 177829 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several Chemical element, e ...

, educated in Truro and the inventor of the

miner's safety lamp The Davy lamp is a safety lamp used in flammable atmospheres, invented in 1815 by Sir Humphry Davy.Samuel Foote Samuel Foote (January 1720 – 21 October 1777) was a Cornish dramatist, actor and Actor-manager, theatre manager. He was known for his comedic acting and writing, and for turning the loss of a leg in a riding accident in 1766 to comedic oppor ...

, an actor and playwright from Boscawen Street. Truro's importance increased later in the 19th century with an iron-smelting works, potteries, and

tanneries Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

. From the 1860s, the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

provided a direct link to

London Paddington Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London railway station and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great Western Ra ...

. The Bishopric of Truro Act 1876 gave the town a bishop and later a cathedral. In 1877 it gained city status. The New Bridge Street drill hall was completed in the late 19th century. Truro was connected to the electric telegraph network in 1863 when the Electric and International Telegraph Company opened stations at Truro, Redruth, Penzance, Camborne, Liskard and St Austell.

Geography

Truro lies in the centre of western Cornwall, about from the south coast, at the confluence of the rivers

Kenwyn Kenwyn () is a settlement and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The settlement is a suburb of the city of Truro and lies 0.5 mi (1 km) north of the city centre, within Truro parish, whereas Kenwyn parish covers an are ...

and

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univ ...

, which combine as the

Truro River The Truro River () is a river in the city of Truro in Cornwall, England, UK. It is the product of the convergence of the two rivers named Kenwyn and Allen which run under the city: the Truro River (named after the city) flows into the River ...

– one of a series of waterways and drowned valleys leading into the

and then the large natural harbour of

Carrick Roads Carrick Roads (, meaning "rock anchorage") is the estuary of the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall in England. It joins the English Channel at its southern end near Falmouth. Geography It is a large flooded valley, or ria, created aft ...

. 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 a

spring tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

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 a tidal barrier on the Truro River. The city is amidst several protected natural areas such as the historic parklands at

Pencalenick St Clement () is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated southeast of Truro in the valley of the Tresillian River. Other notable villages within the parish are the much larger Tresillian 1.4 miles (2.3&nb ...

and areas of ornamental landscape such as

Trelissick Garden Trelissick () is a house and garden in the ownership of the National Trust at Feock, near Truro, Cornwall, England. It is located on the B3289 road, just west of King Harry Ferry, and overlooks the estuary known as Carrick Roads. It lies w ...

and

Tregothnan Tregothnan is a country house and estate near the village of St Michael Penkivel, southeast of Truro, Cornwall, England, which has for many centuries been a possession of the Boscawens. Geography Location Tregothnan is located on a hill overl ...

down the Truro River. An area south-east of the city, including Calenick Creek, has been included in the

Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The Cornwall National Landscape (formerly the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) covers in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom; that is, about 27% of the total area of the county. It comprises 12 separate areas, designated under the Na ...

. Other protected zones include an Area of Great Landscape Value comprising farmland and wooded valleys to the north east, and Daubuz Moors, a local 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 fast

linear In mathematics, the term ''linear'' is used in two distinct senses for two different properties: * linearity of a '' function'' (or '' mapping''); * linearity of a '' polynomial''. An example of a linear function is the function defined by f(x) ...

development along the A390 to the west, towards

Threemilestone Threemilestone () is a small village in the civil parish of Kenwyn, located precisely three miles west of Truro, the only city in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Threemilestone has grown in recent years, as housing estates to the west have bee ...

. As Truro grew, it encompassed other settlements as suburbs or districts, including

and Moresk to the north, Trelander to the east, Newham to the south, and Highertown, Treliske and Gloweth to the west.

Climate

The Truro area, like the rest of Cornwall, has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

. This means fewer extremes in temperature than elsewhere in England, marked by high rainfall, cool summers and mild winters with infrequent frosts.

Demography and economy

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. Indeed, population growth at 10.5% between 1971 and 1998 was slow compared with other Cornish towns and Cornwall. 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). Truro is notable for having one of the youngest average residents in Cornwall (77.7% under 65). 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). 3,168 households (33.6% of residents) are experiencing deprivation, and 4,744 (20.5%) are retirees. Major employers include the

Royal Cornwall Hospital The Royal Cornwall Hospital, formerly and still commonly known as the Treliske Hospital, is a medium-sized teaching hospital in Treliske, on the outskirts of Truro, Cornwall, England. The hospital provides training services for the University of ...

and

Truro College Truro and Penwith College is a further education college in Cornwall, England. History Truro College was founded in 1993 in Gloweth near Threemilestone, Truro, Cornwall, to replace the Truro Sixth Form College. Penwith College was founded in ...

. 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.

Culture

Attractions

Truro's dominant feature is its

Gothic-revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

, designed by architect

John Loughborough Pearson John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficie ...

, rising above the city at its highest spire. It was built in 1880–1910 on the site of St Mary's Church, consecrated over 600 years earlier.

Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Han ...

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 of

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

." The main attraction to the region is a wide variety of shopping facilities. Truro has various

chain stores A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many pa ...

, speciality shops and

markets Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

that reflect its history as a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

. The indoor

Pannier Market A pannier market is a form of indoor market especially popular in Devon in the West Country of the United Kingdom where they can be found in various cities and towns. They take their name from the panniers once used to carry goods to market on the ...

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 the

, a performing arts and entertainment venue. The

is the oldest and premier museum of Cornish history and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

. Its collections cover fields such as

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

, art and geology. Among the exhibits is the so-called Arthur's inscribed stone. Its parks and open spaces include Victoria Gardens, Boscawen Park and Daubuz Moors.

Events

Lemon Quay is the year-round centre of most festivities in Truro. In April, Truro prepares to partake in the

Britain in Bloom RHS Britain in Bloom is the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France (now Conseil national de villes et villages ...

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, a

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

display, food and drinks fairs, a

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

and a parade. A

half-marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

, 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. HIGHX1

Truro's Christmas includes a Winter Festival with a ''City of Lights''

paper lantern A paper lantern is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply a paper bag with a candle placed inside, alt ...

parade. Local schools, colleges, and community and youth groups join in.

Sport

Truro temporarily hosted the

Cornish Pirates The Cornish Pirates () are a professional rugby union team who play in the RFU Championship, Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. The Cornish Pirates team are the 'First XV' o ...

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

club in the 2005–2006 season, but it moved again for 2006–2007 to share the ground of

Camborne RFC Camborne RFC was established in 1878, known locally by fans as 'Town', are one of the most famous rugby union clubs in Cornwall. They are currently champions of Regional 1 South West, a level five league in the English rugby union system and ar ...

. In April 2018, the construction of a

Stadium for Cornwall The Stadium for Cornwall was a proposed multi-purpose stadium in Threemilestone, Cornwall, a county within the British Isles. There are no major sports stadia in Cornwall: the largest capacity ground is the Recreation Ground in Camborne. Footbal ...

was discussed with

, which had pledged £3 million for the £14.3 million project. It is planned for a site in

. The town's remaining rugby union side,

Truro RFC Truro RFC is a Cornish rugby union club based in the city of Truro and was formed in 1885. The club's colours are blue and gold and they operate two senior men's teams, a women's team, a colts side and various mini/junior teams (ages 7–16). ...

, founded in 1885. It belongs to

Tribute Western Counties West Counties 1 Western West (known as Counties 1 Tribute Western West for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league. Originally a single division called Western Counties, in 1996 the division split into two regional leagues called Wes ...

and plays home games at St Clements Hill. It has hosted the

CRFU Cornwall Cup The CRFU Cornwall Cup (currently sponsored by Tribute Ales) is an annual rugby union knock-out cup club competition organised by the Cornwall Rugby Football Union first played for in 1896 but only regularly since 1969. It is open for teams bas ...

several times. Truro City F.C., a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team in the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

, is the only Cornish club ever to reach this tier of the

English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the ...

. It achieved national recognition by winning the

FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, also known as the Isuzu FA Vase for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition run by and named after The Football Association (The FA), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English Nation ...

in 2007 against A.F.C. Totton, in only the second final at the new

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

; it became the first Cornish side ever to win the trophy. Its home ground is the Truro City Stadium in

Cornwall County Cricket Club Cornwall County Cricket Club is one of twenty minor county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Cornwall. The team has played in the Minor Counties Championship since 1904 ...

plays some home fixtures at

Boscawen Park Boscawen Park is a cricket ground located in recreation grounds along Malpas Road in Truro, Cornwall. The ground is situated directly next to the River Truro, which runs alongside its western side. The end names are the City End to the north a ...

, which is also the home ground of Truro Cricket Club. Truro Fencing Club is a national flagship, having won numerous national championships and supplied three fencers for Team GB at the

London 2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. Other sports amenities include a

leisure centre A leisure centre, sports centre, or recreation centre is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and provided by the local government authority, where people can engage in a variety of sports and exercise, and keep fit. Typical facilit ...

, golf course and tennis courts.

Cornish wrestling

Truro has been a centre for

Cornish wrestling Cornish wrestling () is a form of wrestling that has been established in Cornwall for many centuries and possibly longer. It is similar to the Breton people, Breton Gouren wrestling style. It is colloquially known as "wrasslin’"Phillipps, K C: ...

for centuries.Royal Cornwall Gazette, 11 June 1808.Cornish Guardian, 20 June 1946.The West Briton, 21 Sep 2017. Before the formation of the Cornish Wrestling Association, the tournaments in Truro were often described as the ''Great County Wrestling Matches''Lake's Falmouth Packet and Cornwall Advertiser, 18 September 1886. and, with winners getting money prizes or silver medals,Western Morning News 17 July 1884.The Cornishman, 3 July 1890, p4. silver cupsWest Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 22 July 1886.St. Austell Star, 30 May 1907. and silver belts.Royal Cornwall Gazette, 5 October 1893.Western Morning News, 17 September 1891. A large number of venues have been used throughout Truro, including various inns which put on tournaments such as the White Hart Inn,The Royal Cornwall Gazette, Falmouth Packet, and General Advertiser, 26 May 1832, p3. Western Inn,Royal Cornwall Gazette, 7 July 1832. Ship InnWest Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 19 July 1844. and Victoria Inn.Lake's Falmouth Packet and Cornwall Advertiser, 24 July 1858. In the 1970s,

Truro Cathedral School Truro Cathedral School was a Church of England school for boys in Truro, Cornwall. An ancient school refounded in 1549 as the Truro Grammar School, after the establishment of Truro Cathedral in the last quarter of the 19th century it was respons ...

taught Cornish wrestling as part of its

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

programme and was at this time the only school in Cornwall to do so. 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 explorers John Lander and

.Hedgecoe, John: ''A L Rowse's Cornwall'', Weidenfeld and Nicolson (London), 1988, p74-75

Media

Truro is the centre of Cornwall's local media. The county weeklies, the ''

Cornish Guardian The ''Cornish Guardian'' (founded 1901) is a weekly newspaper in Cornwall, England, UK, which is part of the Cornwall & Devon Media group. Its head office is in Truro and it is published in seven separate editions: *Bodmin edition *Lostwithiel ...

'' and ''

The West Briton ''The West Briton'' is a local weekly newspaper published every Thursday. It serves various areas of Cornwall in the United Kingdom: there are four separate editions – Truro and mid-Cornwall; Falmouth and Penryn; Redruth, Camborne and Hayle; ...

'', are based there; the latter provides a Truro and Mid-Cornwall edition. The city also holds the studios of

BBC Radio Cornwall BBC Radio Cornwall is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Cornwall. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Phoenix Wharf in Truro. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 92, ...

. Regional television is provided by

BBC South West BBC South West is the BBC English Region serving Cornwall, Devon, Isles of Scilly, West Somerset, West Dorset and Channel Islands. Services Television ''BBC South Wests television service (broadcast on BBC One South West) consists of the flags ...

and

ITV West Country ITV West Country is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the South West England franchise area on the ITV network. Previously, between 2009 and 2013, the area was a non-franchise region, branded with the same ...

Customs

mummers play Mummers' plays are folk plays performed by troupes of amateur actors, traditionally all male, known as mummers or guisers (also by local names such as ''rhymers'', ''pace-eggers'', ''soulers'', ''tipteerers'', ''wrenboys'', and ''galoshins''). ...

text ascribed until recently to

Mylor, Cornwall Mylor is a civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately five miles north of Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 204 ''Truro & Falmouth'' The church town of the ecclesiastical parish is Mylor Chu ...

(quoted in studies of folk plays such as ''The Mummers Play'' by R. J. E. Tiddy – published posthumously in 1923 – and ''The English Folk-Play'' (1933) by E. K. Chambers), has now been shown by genealogical and other research to have originated in Truro about 1780. The traditional

Nine Lessons and Carols Nine Lessons and Carols, also known as the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, is a service of Christian worship traditionally celebrated on or near Christmas Eve in Anglican churches. The story of the f ...

at Christmas originated in Truro in 1880, when its bishop,

Edward White Benson Edward White Benson (14 July 1829 – 11 October 1896) was archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 until his death. Before this, he was the first Bishop of Truro, serving from 1877 to 1883, and began construction of Truro Cathedral. He was previousl ...

, began to provide chances for evening singing of carols before Christmas Day, often on Christmas Eve.

Administration

Truro City Council forms its basic level of government, as one of 213 parish bodies in the county. Centred upstairs at the Municipal Buildings in Boscawen Street, it covers Truro's public library, parks and gardens,

tourist information centre A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types A visitor center may be a Civic ce ...

, toilets, allotments and cemeteries. It also views planning issues and was involved in creating the Truro and Kenwyn Neighbourhood Plan in association with Cornwall Council. The city council has four

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

– Boscawen and Redannick, Moresk and Trehaverne, Tregolls, and Malabar – with 24 councillors elected for four-year terms. It is affiliated to Truro Chamber of Commerce and other civic bodies. The city council comes under the unitary

, which is directly under central government.

, a unitary authority, is based at

Lys Kernow (; ), known as New County Hall between 1966 and 2009, is a municipal facility at Treyew Road in Truro, Cornwall. Dalvenie House, which is at the north end of the site, is retained for use as the county register office. The building, which serv ...

, formerly County Hall, west of the city centre. It covers planning, infrastructure, development and environmental issues. Truro seats four members on it, one from each of its wards: Truro Tregolls, Truro Boscawen and Redannick, Truro Moresk and Trehaverne and Gloweth, Malabar and Shortlanesend. Threemilestone and Chacewater,

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

s of the city, also elect a member. Truro's borough court, first granted in 1153, became a free borough in 1589, and a city in 1877, receiving

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

after the Anglican diocese was placed there in 1876. However, it forms the eighth smallest UK city in population, city council area and

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

Twinning

Truro is twinned with *

Boppard Boppard (), formerly also spelled Boppart, is a town and municipality (since the 1976 inclusion of 9 neighbouring villages, ''Ortsbezirken'') in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, lying in the Rhine Gorge, a UN ...

, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany *

Morlaix Morlaix (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. History The Battle of Morlaix, part of the Hundred Years' War, was fought near the town on 30 Septembe ...

, Brittany, France

Namesakes

Several towns outside Britain have taken Truro as their name: *

Truro, Nova Scotia Truro (Scottish Gaelic: ''Trùru'') is a town in central Nova Scotia, Canada. Truro is the shire town of Colchester County and is located on the south side of the Salmon River (Nova Scotia), Salmon River floodplain, close to the river's mouth ...

, Canada *

Truro, Massachusetts Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, comprising two villages: Truro and North Truro. Located slightly more than 100 miles (160 km) by road from Boston, it is a summer vacation community just south of the n ...

, United States *

Truro, Iowa Truro is a city in southeast Madison County, Iowa, United States. The population was 509 at the time of the 2020 census. Truro is part of the Des Moines– West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Truro was laid out and plat ...

, United States *

Truro, South Australia Truro (postcode 5356, altitude 311m) is a town in South Australia, 80 km northeast of Adelaide. It is situated in an agricultural and pastoral district on the Sturt Highway, east of the Barossa Valley, where the highway crosses somewhat lof ...

, Australia

Transport

Roads

Truro is from the A30

trunk road A trunk road is a major highway with a specific legal classification in some jurisdictions, notably the United Kingdom, Sweden and formerly Ireland. Trunk roads are planned and managed at the national-level, distinguishing them from non-trunk ro ...

, to which it is linked by the A39 from Falmouth and Penryn. Also passing through is the A390 between Redruth to the west and

Liskeard Liskeard ( ; ) is an ancient stannary and market town in south-east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Plymouth, west of the Devon border, and 12 miles (20 km) east of Bodmin. Th ...

to the east, where it joins the A38 for

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

and the

M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...

Buses

The city and surroundings have extensive bus services, provided mainly by

First Kernow Kernow (also known as Kernow by First or First Kernow) was a brand used by FirstGroup for its buses in Cornwall, England. The buses were initially operated by its First Devon and Cornwall subsidiary and later by First South West. Although th ...

and Transport for Cornwall. Most routes terminate at Truro bus station, near Lemon Quay. A permanent

Park and Ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...

scheme, known as ''Park for Truro'', opened in August 2008. Buses based at Langarth Park in

carry commuters into the city via Truro College, the

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. Truro is served by long-distance coach services, operated by

National Express Mobico Group, formerly National Express Group, is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham, England. Domestically it currently operates bus and coach services under brands including National Express. Th ...

; there are daily departures to

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

and Penzance.

Railway

Truro railway station Truro railway station () serves the city of Truro, Cornwall, England. The station is on the Cornish Main Line and is the junction for the Maritime Line to Falmouth Docks railway station, Falmouth Docks. It is situated at milepost from , which ...

is located about from the city centre. It is a stop on the

Cornish Main Line The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in Cornwall and Devon in the United Kingdom. It runs from Penzance to Plymouth, crossing from Cornwall into Devon over the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash. It directly serves Truro, St Austell, Bodmin (by ...

between and . The station is served by two

train operating companies In the railway system of Great Britain, a train operating company (TOC) is a railway undertaking operating passenger trains under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways ...

: *

provides services to Penzance, Plymouth, ,

, and . *

CrossCountry CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the current CrossCountry franchise. The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2006, ...

operates services between Penzance, Bristol Temple Meads, , , and .

History

To the north-east of the station is a stone

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...

with views over the city, cathedral and Truro river in the distance. The longest viaduct on the line, it replaced

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel ( ; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history", "one of the 19th-century engi ...

's wooden Carvedras Viaduct in 1904. Connecting to the main line at Truro is the

Maritime Line The Maritime Line is a branch line railway in Cornwall that runs from the city of Truro to Falmouth. Since 2009, the line has run half-hourly trains in both directions between Truro railway station and Falmouth Docks railway station via the v ...

to Falmouth in the south. 3440 City of Truro nameplate

Truro's first railway station, at Highertown, was opened in 1852 by the

West Cornwall Railway The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, Great Britain, formed in 1846 to construct a railway between Penzance and Truro. It purchased the existing Hayle Railway, and improved its main line, and built new sections between Pen ...

(WCR) for trains to

Redruth Redruth ( , ) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. According to the 2011 census, the population of Redruth was 14,018 In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, ...

and Penzance; it was known as ''Truro Road'' station. It was extended to the Truro river at Newham in 1855, but closed so that Newham served as the terminus. When the

Cornwall Railway The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth in Cornwall, England, built in the second half of the nineteenth century. It was constantly beset with shortage of capital for the construct ...

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 the

. The route from Highertown to Newham is now the
Newham Trail
', which is a

shared-use path A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is "designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists". Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, Bridle path, bridleways and ra ...

on a countryside loop around the south side of the city.

Air

Newquay Newquay ( ; ) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is a civil parishes in England, civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries with an airport and a spaceport, and a fishing port on t ...

, Cornwall's main airport, is north of Truro. In 2017, it was thought to be the "fastest growing airport" in the UK. It has regular flights to

London Heathrow Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...

and other airports including

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly ( ; ) are a small archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, St Agnes, is over farther south than the most southerly point of the Great Britain, British mainla ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

, Germany.

River

There is a boat link to Falmouth along the Truro and Fal four times a day,

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

permitting. The fleet run by ''Enterprise Boats'', as part of the

Fal River Links Fal River Links is a group of ferry and boat services serving the River Fal and Carrick Roads in Cornwall, England. The services include *a year-round passenger ferry between Falmouth and Flushing *a year-round passenger ferry between Falmouth ...

; it calls on the way at Malpas,

Trelissick Trelissick () is a house and garden in the ownership of the National Trust at Feock, near Truro, Cornwall, England. It is located on the B3289 road, just west of King Harry Ferry, and overlooks the estuary known as Carrick Roads. It lies wit ...

Tolverne Philleigh () is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, one of the four civil parishes in the Roseland Peninsula. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Treworlas, Treworthal and a number of smaller settlements. Philleigh lies wit ...

and

St Mawes St Mawes () is a village on the end of the Roseland Peninsula, in the eastern side of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth harbour, on the south coast of Cornwall, England. The village, formerly two separate hamlets, lies on the east bank of the Carri ...

Churches

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. Parts of the town were in the parishes of

and St Clement ( Moresk) until the mid 19th century, when other parishes were created. The lofty St George's church in Truro, designed by Rev. William Haslam, vicar of

Baldhu Baldhu (; , meaning ''black mine'') is a village and parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in the civil parish of Kea. The parish church of Saint Michael and All Angels, designed by William White, is the burial place of Billy Bra ...

, 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. 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 in

Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...

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 including

St Piran Piran or Pyran (; ), died c. 480,Patrons - The Orthodox Church of Archangel Michael and Holy Piran'' Oecumenical Patriarchate, Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. Laity Moor, Nr Ponsanooth, Cornwall. TR3 7HR. Retrieved: 16 February 20 ...

and St Kenwyn are depicted). Charles William Hempel was organist of St Mary's Church for 40 years from 1804 and also taught music. In 1805 he composed and printed ''Psalms from the New Version for the use of the Congregation of St. Mary's'', and in 1812 ''Sacred Melodies'' for the same congregation. These melodies gained popularity. The oldest church in Truro is at

, 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. 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 of J. 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.N. Pevsner, 1970. ''Cornwall''; 2nd ed. Penguin Books; pp. 234–235. In the parish of St Paul is the former

Convent of the Epiphany The Convent of the Epiphany, Truro, Cornwall, UK, was the home of the Community of the Epiphany (1883–2001). The founder of this community was George Wilkinson, Bishop of Truro. The sisters were involved in pastoral and educational work, th ...

(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 by Edmund H. Sedding. 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. 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.

Other denominations

One Methodist place of worship remains in use, in Union Place – Truro Methodist Church – which has a broad granite front (1830, but since enlarged). There is a Quaker Meeting House in granite () and numerous other churches, some meeting in their own modern buildings, e. g. St Piran's Roman Catholic church and All Saints, Highertown, and some in schools or halls. St Piran's, dedicated to Our Lady of the Portal and St Piran, was built on the site of a medieval chapel by

Margaret Steuart Pollard Margaret Steuart Pollard (; 1 March 1904 – 13 November 1996) was a poet and bard of the Cornish language. She was the founding member of Ferguson's Gang, a secret society of supporters of the National Trust, who had their headquarters at ...

in 1973, for which she received the

Benemerenti Medal The Benemerenti Medal (, ) is a medal awarded by the Pope to members of the clergy and laity for service to the Catholic Church. Originally established as an award for soldiers in the Papal Army, it is now a civil decoration but may still be awa ...

from the Pope. The Baptist church building occupies the site of the former Lake's pottery, one of the oldest in Cornwall.

Education

A free

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

associated with St Mary's Church was endowed in the 16th century. Its distinguished pupils have included the scientist Sir

, General

Sir Hussey Vivian Lieutenant General Richard Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian (28 July 1775 – 20 August 1842), known as Sir Hussey Vivian from 1815 to 1828 and Sir Hussey Vivian, Bt, from 1828 to 1841, was a British cavalry leader from the Vivian family. Early ...

and the clergyman,

. The former Truro Girls Grammar School was converted into a

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is a British supermarket and the second-largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company was the largest UK r ...

supermarket. Educational institutions in Truro today include: *Archbishop Benson – A

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

voluntary aided A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation) contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In m ...

primary school * Polwhele House Preparatory School — since the closure of

educating also the 18 boy choristers of

Truro School Truro School is a coeducational private boarding and day school located in the city of Truro, Cornwall, England. It is the largest coeducational independent school in Cornwall with over 1050 pupils from pre-prep to sixth form. It is a member s ...

— a public school founded in 1880 *

Truro High School for Girls Truro High School for Girls is a private day and boarding school for girls in Truro, Cornwall. The school consists of a girls-only prep school, senior school and sixth form. It is a member of the Girls' Schools Association. History The school ...

— a public school for ages 13–18 * Penair School — a state co-educational science college for ages 11–16 * Richard Lander School — a state co-educational technology college for ages 11–16 *

Truro and Penwith College Truro and Penwith College is a further education college in Cornwall, England. History Truro College was founded in 1993 in Gloweth near Threemilestone, Truro, Cornwall, to replace the Truro Sixth Form College. Penwith College was founded in ...

— A

further Further or furthur, alternatively farther, may refer to: * ''Furthur'' (bus), the Merry Pranksters' psychedelic bus *Further (band), a 1990s American indie rock band *Furthur (band) Furthur was an American rock band founded in 2009 by former G ...

and higher education college attached to the

Combined Universities in Cornwall The Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) is a project to provide higher education in Cornwall, England, which is one of the poorest areas of the United Kingdom in terms of GVA per capita. History Developed in the early 2000s, following the ...

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

Medical School

Development

Truro has many proposed urban development schemes, most of which are intended to counter the main problems, notably

traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s, resulting in m ...

and lack of

housing Housing refers to a property containing one or more Shelter (building), shelter as a living space. Housing spaces are inhabited either by individuals or a collective group of people. Housing is also referred to as a human need and right to ...

. Major proposals include construction of a

distributor road A collector road or distributor road is a low-to-moderate-capacity road which serves to move traffic from local streets to arterial roads. Unlike arterials, collector roads are designed to provide access to residential properties. Rarely, juris ...

to carry traffic away from the busy Threemilestone-Treliske corridor, reconnecting at Penventinnie Lane. This will serve the new housing planned for that area. 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. Since March 2023, through traffic has been prohibited from entering some streets in the City centre. 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. Langarth Garden Village, a major development aiming to provide homes for 8000-10000 residents, has begun construction. This includes a new access road for the development, which is being delivered alongside the A30 improvements scheme. Along with redevelopment of the waterfront, a tidal barrier is planned to dam water into the Truro River, which is currently blighted by mud banks that appear at

low tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...

. 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's

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

to make way for more housing. A smaller project is the addition of two large sculptures in the Piazza.

Notable residents

Public thinking, public service

* Sir Henry Killigrew (c. 1528–1603), Cornish diplomat and an ambassador *

Owen Fitzpen Owen Fitzpen (also known as Owen Phippen) was an English merchant taken captive by Barbary pirates and sold into slavery. He later mounted a heroic escape and is memorialised on a plaque placed in St. Mary's Church at Truro, Cornwall, England. ...

(1552–1636), philanthropist and merchant seaman, led a successful slave revolt in 1627 to free captives of

Barbary pirates The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...

, memorialised on a plaque in St Mary's Church. *

John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor (160617 July 1685) was an English politician, peer and military officer who fought for the Roundheads, Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War. He retired from public life before the trial and executi ...

(1606–1685) a politician who fought for the Parliamentary cause * William Gwavas (1676–1741), barrister and writer in the Cornish language *

Edward Boscawen Admiral of the Blue Edward Boscawen, Privy Council (United Kingdom), PC (19 August 171110 January 1761) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He is known principally for his various naval commands during the 18th century and the engagements ...

(1711–1761),

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

, eponym of a cobbled street at the centre of Truro and a park * Samuel Walker (1714–1761), evangelical clergyman, curate of Truro from 1746 *

Richard Polwhele Richard Polwhele (6 January 1760 – 12 March 1838) was a Cornish clergyman, poet and historian of Cornwall and Devon. Biography Richard Polwhele's ancestors long held the manor of Treworgan, 4 3/4 miles south-east of Truro in Cornwall, w ...

(1760–1838) a clergyman, poet and historian of Cornwall and Devon * Charles Sandoe Gilbert (1760–1831),

druggist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in order to dispense them safely to the pu ...

and historian of Cornwall *

Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian Lieutenant General Richard Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian (28 July 1775 – 20 August 1842), known as Sir Hussey Vivian from 1815 to 1828 and Sir Hussey Vivian, Bt, from 1828 to 1841, was a British cavalry leader from the Vivian family. Earl ...

(1775–1842) a senior British cavalry officer *

(1781–1812),

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

mathematician and missionary in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, who translated the Bible into local languages *

Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro, (7 July 178211 November 1855) was a British lawyer, judge, and politician. He was Lord Chancellor, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain between 1850 and 1852. Background and education Born in London, Truro was t ...

(1782–1855) Lord High Chancellor, 1850 to 1852. * Admiral Sir Barrington Reynolds (1786–1861) senior

officer *

FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal FitzRoy James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, (30 September 1788 – 28 June 1855), known before 1852 as Lord FitzRoy Somerset, was a British Army officer. When a junior officer, he served in the ...

(1788–1855) a senior Army officer and MP for Truro in 1818 & 1826. * Richard Spurr (1800–1855), cabinet maker and lay preacher imprisoned for Chartism. A large allotment in the town was dedicated to him in 2011. * Major-General Sir Henry James (1803–1877), a Royal Engineers officer and DG of the

Ordnance Survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...

1854–1875 *

Richard Lemon Lander Richard Lemon Lander (8 February 1804 – 6 February 1834) was a British explorer of western Africa. He and his brother John were the first Europeans to follow the course of the River Niger, and discover that it led to the Atlantic. Biograp ...

(1804–1834), explorer in West Africa. A local secondary school is named in his honour and a monument to his memory stands at the top of Lemon Street. * John Lander (1806–1839), printer and explorer with his brother

* Charles Chorley (c. 1810–1874), journalist and man of letters *

William Bennett Bond William Bennett Bond (10 September 1815 – 9 October 1906) was a Canadians, Canadian priest, archbishop, and the 2nd Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. Early life Bond was born on September ...

(1815–1906), Canadian priest and second primate of the

Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2016, the Anglican Church of ...

* Alexander Mackennal (1835–1904), nonconformist minister *

Silvanus Trevail Silvanus Trevail (11 November 1851 – 7 November 1903) was a British architect, and the most prominent Cornish architect of the 19th century. Early life Trevail was born at Carne Farm, Trethurgy, in the parish of Luxulyan, Cornwall on 11 No ...

(1851–1903) local architect and mayor of Truro * Joseph Hunkin (1887–1950), Bishop of Truro from 1935 to 1950 *

James Henry Fynn Private James Henry Finn (sometimes Fynn) VC (24 November 1893 – 30 March 1917) was a British Army soldier and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that ...

(Finn, 1893–1917), recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

* Barbara Joyce West (1911–2007), second-to-last survivor of the *

Alison Adburgham Alison Adburgham (28 January 1912 – 23 May 1997) was an English journalist, author and social historian, best known for her work as fashion editor of ''The Guardian'' newspaper, a position she held for 20 years. Along with Prudence Glynn of ...

(1912–1997), social historian and fashion journalist, died in the town. * Hugh Clegg (1920–1995), academic, founded the

National Board for Prices and Incomes The National Board for Prices and Incomes was created by the government of Harold Wilson in 1965 in an attempt to solve the problem of inflation in the British economy by managing wages and prices. The board's chairman was Aubrey Jones, formerly ...

(1965–1971) *

David Penhaligon David Charles Penhaligon (6 June 1944 – 22 December 1986) was a British politician from Cornwall who was Liberal Member of Parliament for Truro from October 1974 until his death in 1986. He was a popular figure in all parties, and was se ...

(1944–1986), politician, Liberal MP for

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

1974–1986 *

Paul Myners, Baron Myners Paul Myners, Baron Myners, (1 April 1948 – 16 January 2022) was a British businessman and politician. In October 2008 he was elevated to the House of Lords as a life peer and was appointed City Minister in the Labour Government of Gordon Br ...

, (1948–2022), businessman and politician *

Mark Laity Mark F. Laity (born 1955 in Truro, Cornwall, UK) is a NATO spokesman and former BBC correspondent. He gained a BA(hons) and MA from the University of York. Laity later became a Senior Associate Research Fellow at the Centre for Defence Studies, ...

(born c. 1962),

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

spokesman and former

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

correspondent * NneNne Iwuji-Eme (born c. 1978), British diplomat, UK High Commissioner to Mozambique * Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, (1979–2009), a British Army bomb-disposal expert

Arts

Giles Farnaby Giles Farnaby (c. 1563 – November 1640) was an English composer and virginalist whose music spans the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque period. Life Giles Farnaby was born about 1563, perhaps in Truro, Cornwall or near London. ...

(c. 1563–1640), composer and

virginalist The virginals is a keyboard instrument of the harpsichord family. It was popular in Europe during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Description A virginals is a smaller and simpler, rectangular or polygonal, form of harpsichord. ...

Samuel Foote Samuel Foote (January 1720 – 21 October 1777) was a Cornish dramatist, actor and Actor-manager, theatre manager. He was known for his comedic acting and writing, and for turning the loss of a leg in a riding accident in 1766 to comedic oppor ...

(1720–1777), actor and playwright *

Henry Bone Henry Bone (6 February 1755 – 17 December 1834) was an English Vitreous enamel, enamel painter. By he had attracted royal patronage for his portrait miniatures This patronage continued throughout the reigns of three monarchs; George I ...

(1755–1834), porcelain, jewellery and enamel painter *

Joseph Antonio Emidy Joseph Antonio Emidy (c. 1775 – 23 April 1835) was a Guinean-born British musician who was enslaved by Portuguese traders in his early life. He was later freed and resided in Portugal before being impressed into the Royal Navy. He was eventu ...

(1775–1835), former slave from Guinea turned violinist * Charles William Hempel (1777–1855), organist of St Mary's Church, Truro, and poet *

Nicholas Michell Nicholas Michell (4 June 1807 – 6 April 1880), was a Cornish writer, best known for his poetry. Personal life Michell, born at Calenick, near Truro, Cornwall, a son of John Michell (1774–1868), who was known as the "father of the tin tra ...

(1807–1880) a Cornish writer, best known for his poetry * Charles Frederick Hempel (1811–1867), organist and composer *

Walter Hawken Tregellas Walter Hawken Tregellas (10 July 1831 – 28 May 1894) was a British writer of historical, biographical and other works. He was also a professional draughtsman. Life and writings Tregellas was the eldest son of John Tabois Tregellas (1792� ...

(1831–1894) professional draughtsman and historical and biographical writer * Francis Charles Hingeston-Randolph (1833–1910), cleric, antiquary and author *

Henry Dawson Lowry Henry Dawson Lowry (22 February 1869 – 21 October 1906) was an English journalist, short story writer, novelist and poet. Early life Lowry was born at Truro, Cornwall, England, as the eldest son of Thomas Shaw Lowry, bank clerk at Truro, aft ...

(1869–1906), journalist, short story writer, novelist and poet *

Hugh Walpole Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (13 March 18841 June 1941) was an English novelist. He was the son of an Anglican clergyman, intended for a career in the church but drawn instead to writing. Among ...

(1884–1941) novelist, who attended a preparatory school in Truro * Maria Kuncewiczowa (1895–1989), Polish writer living in Truro after WWII. Her novel ''Tristan 1946'' was set here. *

(1904–1996), poet and translator lived in Truro from 1930s *

William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel '' Lord of the Flies'' (1954), Golding published another 12 volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 19 ...

(1911–1993), novelist, playwright and poet, gained the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

in 1983. Born in St Columb Minor, he returned to live near Truro in 1985. *

(1912–1997), author, social historian and fashion editor of

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

* Irene Newton (1915–1992), artist *

Catherine Grubb Catherine Grubb (born 1945) is a British artist. Biography Grubb was born in Bellshill in Lanarkshire to Scottish and Lithuanian parents, then lived in London as a child. Grubb studied at Edinburgh College of Art and the University of Edinburg ...

, artist (born 1945), lives in Truro. * Roger Taylor (born 1949), drummer from the rock band

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Robert Goddard Robert Hutchings Goddard (October 5, 1882 – August 10, 1945) was an American engineer, professor, physicist, and inventor who is credited with creating and building the world's first liquid-fueled rocket, which was successfully lau ...

(born 1954), novelist, lives in Truro. * James Marsh (born 1963), film director and Academy Award winner *

Ben Salfield Benjamin Dieter Salfield (born 11 December 1971) is an English lutenist, guitarist, composer, teacher, promoter and politician. Early life Ben Salfield was born in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire, UK. His father, a German Jewish refugee, ...

(born 1971), guitarist, lutenist, composer and teacher, has lived in Truro since age of nine. *

Paul Kerensa Paul Kerensa (born 1979 in Truro, Cornwall) is an English comedy writer and stand-up comedian. Education and career He studied at Royal Grammar School, Guildford and the Guildford School of Acting. In 2002 Kerensa won ITV's 'Take The Mike' ...

(born 1979), comedy writer and stand-up comedian * Brett Harvey (born c. 1980), film writer and director based in Cornwall * Calvin Dean (born 1985), award-winning actor *

Kerensa Briggs Kerensa Rosie Joanne Briggs (born 1991) is a British composer, primarily of choral and organ music. In 2022 she began a three-year term as composer-in-residence with the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus in Missouri, USA.

Science and business

* John Vivian (1750–1826) industrialist in

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, descendant of the

Vivian family Vivian may refer to: *Vivian (name), a given name and also a surname Places * Vivian, Louisiana, U.S. * Vivian, South Dakota, U.S. * Vivian, West Virginia, U.S. * Vivian Island, Nunavut, Canada * Ballantrae, Ontario, a hamlet in Stouffville, On ...

Elizabeth Andrew Warren Elizabeth Andrew Warren (28 April 1786 – 5 May 1864) was a Cornish botanist and marine algologist who spent most of her career collecting along the southern coast of Cornwall. Her goal was to create a herbarium of indigenous plants of Cornwall ...

(1786–1864) a Cornish botanist and marine algologist *

Charles Foster Barham Charles Foster Barham, M.D. (9 March 1804 – 20 October 1884) was an English physician and the fourth son of Thomas Foster Barham. Early life and education Barham was born in Truro. His family's wealth came from slavery and sugar estates in ...

(1804–1884), physician and writer on public health *

Edwin Dunkin Edwin Dunkin FRS, FRAS (19 August 1821 – 26 November 1898) was a British astronomer and the president of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Institution of Cornwall. Birth and family He was born 19 August 1821, the son of William ...

(1821–1898) an astronomer and the president of the

Royal Astronomical Society The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charitable organisation, charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, planetary science, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its ...

Henry Charlton Bastian Henry Charlton Bastian (26 April 1837 in Truro, Cornwall, England – 17 November 1915 in Chesham Bois, Buckinghamshire) was an English physiologist and neurologist. Biography Bastian was born at Truro, Truro, Cornwall and graduated from Unive ...

(1837–1915),

physiologist Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out chemical and ...

and

neurologist Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous system, which comprises the brain, the ...

* Edward Arnold (1857–1942), a publisher, founded Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd in 1890. * Elsie Wilkins Sexton (1868–1959) a zoologist and biological illustrator * H. Lou Gibson (1906–1992), expert in medical uses of

infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...

to detect breast cancer

Sport

Matt Etherington at the Boleyn Ground 2015

Nick Nieland Nicholas Nieland (born 31 January 1972 in Truro, Cornwall) is a British javelin thrower. He was the British number three for many years. When his long-time domestic rival Steven Backley retired, Nieland rose to prominence to achieve a gold med ...

(born 1972), javelin gold medallist at the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, were an International sport, international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Melbourne ...

Matthew Etherington Matthew Etherington (born 14 August 1981) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, footballer who is currently Under-21 assistant at Southampton F.C., Southampton. As a player, E ...

(born 1981), former professional footballer with 426 club caps, he played for

West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...

and

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...

. * David Paynter (born 1981), former first-class cricketer * Tom Voyce (1981–2024) former rugby union footballer with London Wasps and England *

Annabel Vernon Annabel Morwenna Vernon (born 1 September 1982) is a retired British rower. She was born in Truro, Cornwall. She was educated at St Minver Primary School then Wadebridge School, Downing College, Cambridge, and King's College London (MA Interna ...

(born 1982), retired rower, team silver medallist at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

Chris Harris Chris Harris may refer to: Sportspeople * Chris Harris (basketball) (1933–2022), English basketballer * Chris Harris (cricketer) (born 1969), New Zealand cricketer * Chris Harris (darts player) (born 1977), Welsh darts player * Chris Harris (rowe ...

(born 1982), international speedway rider * Gemma Prescott (born 1983), Paralympic track and field athlete *

Darren Dawidiuk Darren Dawidiuk (born 21 September 1987 in Truro) is a former rugby union footballer, who last played for Premiership Rugby outfit Bristol Bears. He played as a hooker. Career Dawidiuk joined the Cornish Pirates as an academy player in 2006 ...

(born 1987), rugby union footballer *

Craig Alcock Craig Alcock (born 8 December 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Having begun his career at Yeovil Town he spent time on loan at Weston-super-Mare, Taunton Town and Tiverton Town before moving to Pete ...

(born 1987), professional footballer * Matthew Whorwood (born 1989), Paralympic swimmer, bronze medallist in two

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...

* Matthew Shepherd (born 1990), rugby union player *

Luke Cowan-Dickie Luke Anthony Cowan-Dickie (born 20 June 1993) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a hooker for Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks and the England national team. Club career Cowan-Dickie has previously been dual-regist ...

(born 1993), rugby union player *

Jack Nowell Jack Thomas Nowell (born 11 April 1993) is an English professional rugby union player for Top 14 side La Rochelle. He also represents England. His position of choice is wing but he can also play as a full-back or outside centre. Exeter Chiefs N ...

(born 1993), rugby union player *

Molly Caudery Molly Caudery (born 17 March 2000) is a British athlete who competes in the pole vault event for England and Great Britain. Caudery is the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, 2024 World Indoor champion. She was also a silver medalist at ...

(born 2000), British pole vaulter *

Alex Quinn Alexander James Quinn (born 29 December 2000) is a British racing driver. He currently competes in the 2025 European Le Mans Series driving the No. 20 Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 car. Early career Karting Born in Truro and based near Camelford, Q ...

(born 2000), racing driver

References

External links

*
Truro City Council website

Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Truro
{{Authority control Cornish capitals Cities in South West England Towns in Cornwall Civil parishes in Cornwall County towns in England Populated places established in the 12th century Ports and harbours of Cornwall Cornish Killas Coinage Towns

Toponymy

History

Geography

Climate

Demography and economy

Culture

Attractions

Events

Sport

Cornish wrestling

Media

Customs

Administration

Twinning

Namesakes

Transport

Roads

Buses

Railway

History

Air

River

Churches

Other denominations

Education

Development

Notable residents

Public thinking, public service

Arts

Science and business

Sport

See also

References

External links