Truro Things to Do

War Memorial

The Truro memorial was originally a testimony to Truronians killed or missing during the First World War (182 names), later additions were the Second World War (106 names) and later still 1 name from the Falklands War and 1 from the war in Afghanistan.The memorial is a dressed granite, mostly rock-faced with a bronze statue of a foot soldier in battle dress raising his "tin" helmet in the air.

July 2011

The centre is a good source of Information on local and national attractions, Advice on planning excursions and activities, Local and national accommodation booking service, Advance purchase Eden tickets, A wide selection of gift ideas, CDs, maps, guides, books, stamps, walking and cycling touring guides, and souvenirs.

Cornwall Tourism Awards Bronze winner of Tourist Information Centre of the Year 2007.

Cornwall Tourism Awards Silver winner of Tourist Information Centre of the Year 2006.

April to October
Monday to Friday: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

November to March
Monday to Friday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

email tic@truro.gov.uk

July 2011

The Coinage Hall goes back to a time when Truro was chosen as a Stannary Town, this is where smelted tin was assayed before being exported. The present Victorian building is on the site of the original 14th century Coinage Hall. Today the Coinage Hall is home to a small number of retail outlets including Pizza Express, Charlotte's Tea Rooms and the Antique Centre.

July 2011

The City Hall, which includes the Mayor's Parlour and Truro City Council Offices was built in the 19th century and is of Italianate design. The building has an impressive clock tower, which was given by an anonymous donor after the original clock tower became the victim of a fire in 1914. Truro Tourist Information Centre is also within this building.

Monday to Thursday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Friday: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

email info@truro.gov.uk

July 2011

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Come-to-Good is a small village, the origin of whose name is uncertain but may be a (probably ironic) reference to the presence of a group belonging to the Religious Society of Friends, commonly called Quakers. The thatched Meeting House, completed in 1710, is sparsely furnished (by comparison with many other places of worship) and reflects a Quaker tradition of simple meetings in silence, awaiting inspiration. The building is still used for meetings, (although open to visitors at other times). On the wall is a copy of the Lord's Prayer in Cornish, related to Welsh (and less obviously to other Celtic languages). The language, after a 20th century revival, is probably now spoken by a few thousand people. Interestingly, although its relationship with Welsh is a close one, there are only a few identical words in this text, (e.g. bara = bread). However, there are many others with a distinct similarity.

This is a beautiful building, built in the traditional Gothic style. Surprisingly it was built much later than it would seem, between 1880 & 1910, and had to be built at an angle to fit into the site in the centre of the city which had existed for hundreds of years.

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Following the success of the initial Bristol to London railroad in 1841, demand was great for further extensions of this new mode of transportation. Among the results of this demand, was the extension of the railroad into the resort and tin-mining areas of Devon and Cornwall, with construction on this section starting in 1853. The success of the entire rail system in this part of England was thanks to the design efforts of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, one of the most famous civil engineers that England has ever produced. The remnants of two of his original thirty-four timber viaducts required between Plymouth and Truro (built on granite piers) can still be seen in the city, although it is only the granite uprights that remain beside the replacement structures. This photo shows one of the masonry supports of the 1859 'Carvedras' viaduct that were built 66 ft. apart to bridge the valley, with now-removed timber structures raising the level of the tracks a further 35 ft. in the air, almost up to the level of the existing granite and brick 1902 viaduct visible in the background here. The timber viaducts had to be phased out because of the expense of maintaining them. The 3rd photo shows the actual 'Truro' viaduct on the other side of the hill dividing it from the Carvedras viaduct, also showing it's left-over masonry pillars beside the in-use portion (this one was upgraded in 1904).

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One of Truro's most impressive attractions is the long Carvedras granite and brick railway viaduct built in the west end of the city to span the valley in which most of the city nestles. Built in 1902 to replace an earlier stone and wood viaduct of the same name (see the next Tip for more details), this one continues to play a vital role in transportation for rail traffic further into the tip of Cornwall.

My wife's parents live on the northwestern outskits of Truro, so I would almost always park our rental car at their house whenever I went to visit the downtown area of the city. From there, it was only a 15-minute walk, which took me beneath this viaduct and then alongside the small River Kenwyn as it flowed toward the town's small harbour at the start of the Truro River. I marvelled at how much nicer these old granite structures look than the smooth concrete and steel affairs used today!