Truro is located in the centre of Cornwall on the confluence of the rivers Kenwyn and Allen. The name Truro is thought to mean 'three rivers' in reference to the Kenwyn, the Allen and the now tiny Glasteinan. It lies in a shallow valley at the junction of the small rivers and a branch creek of the great estuary of the Fal. It is built chiefly of granite, with broad streets, through the chief of which there flows a stream of water.
The remains at Carvossa indicate that there has been settlement in the Truro since at least Iron Age times. There was also a Norman castle on one of the hills beside Truro, now the site of the Courts of Justice building.
One source states that at the time of the Domesday Survey Truro (Trueret, Treurok, Treueru) was a comparatively small manor held by Jovin of Mortain. This manor was found where Kenwyn street is now sutuated. Its municipal charter dates from Richard Lucy the chief justiciar who held the demesne lands. Reginald Earl of Cornwall, by an undated charter, added to these privileges exemption from the jurisdiction of the hundred and county courts and from toll throughout the county. Henry II. confirmed the grant of his uncle the said Reginald.
In 1304 Truro was made a coinage town for tin. In 1378 the sheriff reported that the town was so impoverished by pestilence, hostile invasions and intolerable payments made to the that it was almost uninhabited and wholly wasted. A similar complaint was made in 1401 in consequence of which the fifteenth and tenth amounting to £12 was for the three years ensuing reduced to 50/-. The charter of incorporation granted in 1589 provided for a mayor, recorder and steward and a council of twenty burgesses and four aldermen. In 1835 the number of aldermen was increased to six. From 1295 to 1885 Truro enjoyed separate parliamentary representation, returning two members. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885 the representation of Truro was merged in the county. No fairs or markets are mentioned prior to 1589 when two markets, on Saturdays and Wednesdays, were provided, also three fairs.
Truro rose to prominence as a market town and port during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. However with the decline of the fishing and tin mining industries, Truro's role has shifted to being the cultural and commercial capital of Cornwall. Truro's present buildings are mostly Georgian era or later, a result of its role as a stannary town during the height of the mining industry in West Cornwall.
Manors with land attached at Truro and Kenwyn were Treyew, Truro, Truro Vean.
The West Cornwall Railway opened a terminus at Highertown on 25 August 1852, from where trains ran to Redruth and Penzance. The line was extended down to the river at Newham on 16 April 1855. The Cornwall Railway brought their line from Plymouth to a new station above the town at Carvedras on 4 May 1859, crossing high above the streets on two viaducts: Truro and Carvedras. The West Cornwall Railway now diverted most of its passenger trains to the new station, leaving Newham mainly as a goods station until it closed on 6 November 1971. The route from Highertown to Newham is now a cycle path which takes a leisurely loop through the countryside on the south side of the city. The Cornwall Railway extended its line to Falmouth on 24 August 1863.
Truro Cathedral was built on the site of the old St Mary's Church, by J L Pearson between 1880 and 1909. The most outstanding landmark of the city, it gives an impression of great antiquity. The central tower rises 250 feet into the sky and was built as a memorial to Queen Victoria.
.gif){kind=small}
