Click on picture for Larger view
 |
| Looking south across the city down thru the River Fal and out to the Roseland Peninsular. The cathedral is in the centre just above the right of the railway viaduct. Queen Victoria granted Truro city status in 1877, three years before the laying of the cathedral's foundation stones. The Bishopric of Truro Bill (1876), brought the towns first Bishop, Edward White Benson, to Truro in 1877. He decided that the people of Cornwall deserved their own cathedral and a modern gothic cathedral was built in 1890. The Cathedral has a wonderful organ whose recitals can be heard every Friday. The cathedral was built on the existing site of the church of St Mary the Virgin and the cathedral uniquely retains a parish church status the dean of the Cathedral also acting as the rector of the Parish |
Remains of the old castle were found during excavations that were underway to rebuild build the cattle market. It is now the site of the Courts of Justice, the County Courts for Cornwall.
In the 14th century Truro was an important inland port and one of the five stannary towns in Cornwall. Copper and tin were assayed and stamped here twice a year and then shipped from the port.
In the late 14th century Truro was hit badly by the Black Death and with death and a mass exodus the town was neglected. This was resolved by a petition to Parliament which excused residents from paying rent
Queen Elizabeth I granted Truro a charter in the 16th century that brought self government.
A Mayor could be elected.
Truro at this time also controlled the port of FALMOUTH and was a thriving place.
The Royalists during the civil war set up their own mint in the 17th century but the local royalist army eventually surrendered at Tresillian, just outside Truro, in 1642 and Prince Charles fled via FALMOUTH.
In both the 17th and 18th centuries Truro became quite a busy working town with tin smelting, an iron foundry, pottery, a tannery and carpet and wool making going on in all parts of the town and surrounding areas. The river FAL and the lower port of FALMOUTH being essential to all this industry.
Truro came to its heyday in the 18th and 19th centuries.
As the price of tin increased, wealthy mine owners built elegant town houses. Truro was nicknamed 'the London' or 'Capitol' of Cornwall.
It became the Capitol centre of Cornish society, theatres and Meeting ( Assembly Rooms (High Cross) were all built to service the ever increasing social population.
There have, and are many people that have been associated with Truro....
Sir William Lemon was a mining magnate and MP for the county who gave land for the building of Lemon Street, the finest example of Georgian architecture west of the city of Bath.
Sylvanus Trevail was a Cornish architect with a very distinctive style, who designed many of the buildings that remain today.
Richard & John Lander lived in the town and went on the government expedition to discover the source of the River Niger in Africa. Richard was awarded the first gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1832, and his statue stands at the top of Lemon Street.
Humphrey Davy, who invented the minors safety lamp was born in Penzance but educated at the Old Truro Grammar School in St Mary's Street
Samuel Foote, actor and playwright was also a pupil in the 18th century and whose family lived in Boscawen Street.