Truro

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Truro :: Truro_Township :: Truro_College

Truro (pronounced ; Cornish: Truru) is the only city within the county of Cornwall, it is also Cornwall's administrative centre. It is the most southerly city in the United Kingdom, situated just under 232 miles (374 kilometres) west south-west of Charing Cross, London. It has a population of 17,431 ^*.

The city is well-known for its cathedral, begun in 1879 and finished in 1910. It is also the location of the Royal Cornwall Museum, Cornwall's Courts of Justice and Cornwall County Council's New County Hall, a Grade II listed building. Truro is also the site of a BT broadband call centre.

Development

Future development in Truro includes a new football stadium and training facilities and a youth academy for Truro City FC. This will be built to the north of the city at Kenwyn. Truro Golf Club is also moving to a new site at Polwhele to make way for 2,500 new homes to be built next to the biggest estate in the Carrick Area, Malabar . Many locals believe these new homes will have a crippling effect on the city's roads, which are already stretched to their limit, and are often gridlocked in the summer and at the late night shopping periods . There is also planned construction of a new building on Lemon Quay, however some people who live in the city have opposed the plans saying the building would obstruct the view of the river .

History

The remains at Carvossa indicate that there has been settlement in the Truro since at least Iron Age times. There was also a Norman castle on one of the hills beside Truro, now the site of the recent award-winning Courts of Justice building (by Eldred Evans and David Shalev, who also designed the Tate St Ives building).

Truro rose to prominence as a market town and port during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. However with the decline of the fishing and tin mining industries, Truro's role has shifted to being the cultural and commercial capital of Cornwall. Truro's present buildings are mostly Georgian era or later, a result of its role as a stannary town during the height of the mining industry in West Cornwall.

Railways

The West Cornwall Railway opened a terminus at Highertown on 25 August 1852, from where trains ran to Redruth and Penzance. The line was extended down to the river at Newham on 16 April 1855.

The Cornwall Railway brought their line from Plymouth to a new station above the town at Carvedras on 4 May 1859, crossing high above the streets on two viaducts: Truro (above the town centre) and Carvedras. The West Cornwall Railway now diverted most of its passenger trains to the new station, leaving Newham mainly as a goods station until it closed on 6 November 1971. The route from Highertown to Newham is now a cycle path which takes a leisurely loop through the countryside on the south side of the city.

The Cornwall Railway extended its line to Falmouth on 24 August 1863.

Geography

Truro is located in the centre of Cornwall on the confluence of the rivers Kenwyn and Allen. The name Truro is thought to mean 'three rivers' in reference to the Kenwyn, the Allen and the now tiny Glasteinan. Truro has experienced problems with flooding in the past, in particular 1988 saw two '100 year' floods. These problems arose due to high rain fall swelling the rivers and a spring tide in the River Fal. More recently flood defenses have been constructed, including an emergency dam and a tidal barrier, to prevent future problems.

Truro is twinned with:

Boppard, Germany
Morlaix, Brittany, France.

Educational institutions in Truro include:

Truro School - a public school founded in 1880.
Truro High School - a public school for girls, ages 3-18.
Penair School - a state school, co-educational, for children aged 11-16.
Richard Lander School - a state school, co-educational, for children aged 11-16.
Truro College - A further and higher education college — one of the few found in Cornwall — opened in 1993.

Famous people born or resident in Truro

16th century

Giles Farnaby — a madrigalist of the Elizabethan age..

18th century

Edward Boscawen — an admiral of the Royal Navy. The cobbled street at the centre of Truro is named in his honor, as was a recently closed-down pub.

19th century

Richard Lemon Lander — an explorer of West Africa. A local secondary school is named in his honour and a monument to his memory stands at the top of Lemon Street.

20th century

Matthew Etherington — a professional football player playing for West Ham United — an East London club.
Henry Louis Gibson — an expert in medical uses of infrared and pioneer of its use in detecting breast cancer.
Nick Nieland — Commonwealth Games javelin gold medalist.
Jemma Simpson — 800m athlete
Barbara Joyce West — Oldest remaining (out of two) Titanic survivor.
Tom Voyce — an English rugby union footballer who plays at wing or fullback for theLondon Wasps and England.

External links

Cities in England | English county towns | Towns in Cornwall