Our great little city, Truro is different from Cornwall's other towns...it's majestic cathedral being just one thing that sets it apart
Whether arriving in Truro by car, bike or rail, the sight of its soaring cathedral towers raises your spirits. The cathedral sits in the heart of the city, which itself lies in a natural bowl between rivers and land.
The cathedral is surprisingly young, built in the Gothic fashion between 1880 and 1910. It is the pride of the county, its pure granite towers glittering against blue and darkening skies alike.
Truro, known locally as ‘our great little city’, is markedly different from the county’s towns. It has stunning Georgian architecture that is second only to Bath, but it is in almost miniature form.
The city has a European feel to it, in that it feels like it has quarters. Lemon Street is an airy broad street leading up to the brow of a hill, lined with Georgian architecture housing offices offering property, law, dentistry and other professional services, alongside stunning - and expensive - town houses.
Lemon Quay, is an expansive event area lined with national chain shops - including the county’s only Primark, which opened to much fanfare a few years ago. The cobbled square hosts a weekly farmers’ market, regular art and craft fairs, and frequent foodie and music events.
Throughout the city is a veritable smorgasbord of excellent independent eateries. Around Victoria Square, there is a fantastic family-run Italian restaurant, Pietro’s Pizzeria, which has been thriving for 25 years. The genuinely warm welcome, authentic decor and outstanding food makes it the perfect place to while away any inclement weather and be transported to sunnier climes.
Still talking Italian, La Pineta, just a minute’s walk away, is an astonishing deli - and restaurant. Here, Valentina, from the Campania region of southern Italy, and her family offer the most sumptuous fresh Italian food. Booking ahead is essential to dine in, but all of the deli’s offerings are essential, too, so it’s no real hardship to miss out on a table!
Another chef putting the deli into delicious is Sabzi in Walsingham Place, a beautiful crescent-shaped grove of peace just off Victoria Square. Here Kate Attlee, who has trained at a Michelin level service, serves up dishes in a daily-changing menu that is vibrant in its seasonality and flavours.
Opposite is Mediterraneo, a Greek takeaway and restaurant creating fresh gyros, tapas and mezze that are fresh and fragrant. A further minute’s walk is Yak & Yeti, a Nepalese restaurant that’s been serving the best curries in the city for years.
Truro is packed full of surprises. While it has a few national chain stores, its real character is created by the abundance of small bars, cafes and independent shops lying in tucked away alleyways like Pydar Mews and Lemon Street Market. This beautiful city is much greater than the sum of its parts.
Hall for Cornwall
The curtains have risen on the Hall for Cornwall after a £26 million refurbishment and this Cornish Playhouse can now seat 1325 people in a three-tiered auditorium with sophisticated technology. The theatre now hosts hit West End musicals, live music, comedy, drama and shows to entertain one and all. With Sir Tim Rice as Honorary President, the theatre has an excellent autumn and winter line-up of shows ranging from the National Theatre’s Ocean at the End of the Lane to highly acclaimed comedy Noises Off and an evening with Dawn French.
There is real magic in the way that the new build pays tribute to the extraordinary history of the Grade II* listed building which houses the new Playhouse, creative working spaces, cafes, bars and a new community, education and youth programme.
The granite Italianate building has housed a town hall, magistrates courts, police and fire station, cinema and even a skating rink during the last century.
This latest reincarnation is a fantastic remodeling which lies at the very heart of this proud city.
Royal Cornwall Museum
The Royal Cornwall Museum is a mine of information about Cornish culture and heritage. Opened in 1818, today it hosts a permanent collection of Cornish history and a vibrant series of exhibitions and events.
In 1997 a rogue wave knocked no less than 62 containers off a cargo ship on Cornwall’s coastline. This set five million pieces of Lego adrift and they continue to wash up on shores across the south west.
The exhibition Adrift: Lego Lost at Sea details what was lost and what was learned about the ocean, its sea and pollution as a result.
Due to close in the summer, the exhibition proved so popular that it has been extended to the end of November.
Throughout autumn and winter comes an exhibition called Truro Open: Spirit of Cornwall which is the first ever open exhibition to showcase the work of artists and creatives living in the Duchy.
The museum is a fresh and exciting experience, it really is a must see and do.
