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The picturesque villages and lively towns of The Cornish Riviera their own unique Cornish history. With a wealth of fascinating buildings, pretty harbours and a variety of visitor centres, each one has something special to offer the visitor.
Callington | Calstock | Fowey | Gunnislake | Liskeard | Looe | Lostwithiel | Mevagissey | Par | Polperro | The Roseland Peninsula | Saltash | St. Austell | Torpoint | Truro
Callington is an ancient ancient market town which started life as a Celtic settlement, was developed by the Saxons and then conquered by the Normans in the 11th century, at which stage the population was around 200. Today, the population has swelled to over 5000. The growth of Callington from the 13th century onwards was in a large part due to its geographical position and the cattle market established in 1267,survived until the late 20th century with a weekly market and an annual market called The Honey Fair which takes place in October. There are still markets in the town every week and a Farmer's Market twice a month. By the late 16th century, Callington was a borough with represented by 2 Members of Parliament. During the Civil War, Callington sided and fought with the Royalists. In the 18th and 19th centuries, tin milling and mining was the major economic activity of Callington and at the end of the tin industry. many local families emigrated, some to Australia where they established Callington near Adelaide. Callington has a museum which celebrates the history of Callington and surrounds with photographs, artefacts and documents covering ancient Callington, tin mining, railways through to recent times. Callington is now best known for Ginsters which started life in 1968 as a small family company making handmade traditional Cornish Pasties. Today, Ginsters employs 800 people with a turnover of £225m. That would be a lot of pasties and indeed, whilst Ginsters produce the country's leading selling pasty, the business has expanded to provide a broad range of chilled food products. But it was the Cornish pasty that got them where they are today !
Callington Restaurants | Callington Pubs | Callington Accommodation | Map
Calstock
takes
its name from the old English work stoch meaning settlement, and Cal
is thought to have derived from a name, possibly a local landowner
of the time. It is
mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086) as Callestoch. It
was always a small riverside port, stretching right back to Saxon
times, but it developed into a very busy and important port when
industrial and mining activities expanded.
A picturesque village; Calstock offers a range of shops and pubs.
There is a railway station (Tamar Valley Line to Plymouth)
and a breathtaking railway viaduct constructed in 1908.
There is also a ferry service to nearby Cotehele which runs
with the tides as opposed to a timetable.
Cotehele Quay is part of the National Trust and has a
watermill, tearooms, an art gallery and a maritime museum.
It is also famed for its beautiful woodland walks.
Indeed many people walk one way and get the ferry back,
although if you are planning to do this you should first check if
the ferry is running! Calstock Restaurants | Calstock Pubs | Calstock Accommodation | Map Falmouth is a popular, large and thriving town whose main industry has become tourism despite remaining an important centre for ship repairs. Back in 1600 it was a tiny hamlet consisting of just 2 buildings, one being a blacksmith and the other an Inn. It is said that during a visit, Sir Walter Raleigh made the suggestion that a port be built, thus utilizing the world’s 3rd largest natural harbour. Since then it has grown and developed into the bustling community it is now. There are a wide selection of shops, harbourside pubs, public gardens, art galleries and restaurants not to mention the watersports facilites. Indeed, Falmouth is fast becoming internationally renowned for its watersports and sailing. The National Maritime Museum opened in 2002 and is based in Falmouth. It tells the story of Cornish maritime history, has interactive experiences, a natural underwater viewing area where you can see at first hand what is happening underneath the harbour and a tower with views fabulous views over the harbour, docks and estuary. More information is available from www.nmmc.co.uk A famous Falmouth landmark is the charming Pendennis Castle. Henry VIII realised there was a weakness at this large harbour entrance and so ordered the building of Pendennis and St Mawes castles, one on either side of the estuary. The castles are both standing today and definitely worth a visit. The resort has 4 main beaches, always popular with families as they are long and sandy. They are Swanpool, Castle, Gyllynvase and Maenporth. There are also plenty of pleasure boat trips from Falmouth which tend to run all year round, weather permitting. For those of you with established sea legs, yachts with skippers can be chartered on a daily basis.
Falmouth Restaurants
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Falmouth Pubs
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Falmouth Accommodation
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Fowey is one of the most attractive small towns in Cornwall and enjoys a setting that it would be difficult to equal. Fowey is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and yet it is a very significant port and harbour for both commercial and leisure purposes. Located at the mouth of the River Fowey (pronounced ‘Foy’ as in ‘Joy’), the town is today an important deep water port for the export of china clay as well as being a significant yachting centre and tourist destination, blessed as it is with a range of excellent restaurants and pubs. It has a population of around 2,500. Fowey Harbour starts on the seaward side of Lostwithiel & Lerryn bridges and covers an area of approximately 1000 acres. Fowey is known as a China Clay port and in 2005, nearly 1.3million tonnes of China Clay were exported making Fowey the 11th largest port in the United Kingdom in tonnage terms. Fowey with its natural sheltered harbour has been an important port since Roman times and dates back to the Iron Age. The local history includes attacks by the Spanish in the 14th century and by the French in the 15th century and there are important 14th century defensive ‘Blockhouses’ at the entrance to the harbour structures, between which hung a chain that prevented attacking ships entering the harbour. St Catherine’s Castle was built by Henry VIII in the 16th century to defend the harbour. The River Fowey was once a very important navigation and Lostwithiel, was founded by the Normans in the 11th century as an inland port on the river. ‘The Port of Fawi’ as Lostwithiel was known was used to export tin down the then navigable Fowey River and out to sea. The Fowey Museum, located close to the Town Quay, presents visitors with an array of important artefacts which bring alive the town’s seafaring history and tell of the visits by Cook, Drake, Raleigh and Frobisher; all important figures in the naval history of England. It is well worth a visit for anyone interested in history and archaeology. For the day visitor the town offers the museum, an aquarium, boat hire and river trips from Town Quay, numerous pubs and eating places, a good selection of shops and galleries, great walks and a sandy beach at Readymoney Cove. Fowey can be reached by road and there is a ferry between Bodinnick and Fowey which saves a longish round trip if you are approaching from the west from Polperro or Looe. There is also a foot ferry from Polruan on the South West Coastal Path. Fowey has been home to many famous authors over the years and Daphne du Maurier had a home for many years at Ferryside, Bodinnick overlooking Fowey for many years. According to some, Wind in the Willows, written by Kenneth Grahame is based around the River Fowey and Fowey Hall is the model for ‘Toad Hall’. He is known to have had a holiday home near Fowey and you can decide for yourself after a ‘Wind in the Willows’ cruise to Lerryn. Upstream from Fowey is Golant, best known for ‘Sawmill Recording Studios’ and made famous by Noel Gallagher of Oasis being photographed and getting himself into trouble for walking along the railway track by the studios. There are a number of major events that take place in Fowey every year. Make sure you try to visit the Daphne Du Maurier Festival which takes place in May. The Fowey Regatta organised by the Royal Fowey Yacht Club is in August and is rounded off with a flyby by the Red Arrows (weather permitting) and a fantastic firework display Fowey Restaurants | Fowey Pubs | Fowey Accommodation | Map
Gunnislake The
village of Gunnislake sits on the side of the Tamar valley and like
its neighbour Calstock, expanded considerably during the mid -
nineteenth century due to growth in the industrial activity and
copper mining in the area. There
is still evidence of this at Gunnislake and would be of particular
interest to anyone keen on industrial history.
Gunnislake New Bridge (early 16th century) was one
of the main routes to Cornwall until the Tamar Road Bridge was built
in 1962.
The
walkers amongst you may wish to do the Gunnislake Village Trail.
There are a few different walks in the Trail of varying
distances, incorporating spectacular views and several historical
sites. You may
recognise the scenery so wonderfully captured by the artist Turner,
called Crossing the Brook (c1815) and incorporates New Bridge. The original of this painting is in The Tate Gallery, London,
and is widely thought to be his best work from the West Country.
The
Tamar Valley
Donkey Park
is found in Gunnislake.
Open from Easter through to the end of October this is a
lovely day out. There
are many other animals living alongside the donkeys which you can
feed, pet or ride. There is an adventure playground, nature trail,
shop, café, disabled facilities and much more.
Not far from Gunnislake is the award winning Victorian Living Museum and Visitor Centre at Morwellham Quay. Here you are able to dress in Victorian costume or venture underground for a trip into the copper mine. Gunnislake Restaurants | Gunnislake Pubs | Gunnislake Accommodation | Map Liskeard is a busy market town in the Caradon district of Cornwall, home to the famous South Caradon Mine and situated close to Looe, Callington and Bodmin. It was previously known as Liscarret, which is thought to derive from 2 Cornish words meaning ‘a fortified place’, as Liskeard is one of the most ancient towns in Cornwall. Liskeard is steeped in mining history and used to be the focal point of copper, tin, lead and silver mining in the area, making it a very prosperous mining town during this time. Due to its’ success, the population rose from 1,860 in 1801 to 6,500 by 1861. The precious metals were transported by water which has now become an historic canal route. There is some wonderful architecture by Henry Rice to be found in Liskeard. The properties were built due to the prosperity of the mining industry, namely during 1837-74, and can still be seen today throughout the town in Barclays Bank, The Stag Hotel and Manley Terraces. The town was once host to a workhouse and poor house, home to up to 60 ‘inmates’. This still stands today as part of the now closed Lamellion Hospital. Nowadays Liskeard is a central shopping point for surrounding villages and towns offering a large supermarket and some other ‘big name’ stores. This area of the town is called Maudlin which previously sited a ‘Lazar House’. This was the collective name given to any small hospital which housed a leper colony, and there were 28 lepers recorded to have stayed at Maudlin. Leprosy was prevalent in England in the 10th century, peaked in the 13th and was on the decline in the 14th. The Maudlin Lazar House closed in 1309. On a more cheerful note, Liskeard hosts a public sports complex with indoor heated swimming pool, squash and badminton courts and a gym. The town centre offers pedestrian shopping facilities with easy access parking. Hot air balloon riding & paint balling are available a short drive from the town, as is a walk on Bodmin moor, steeped in myths and legends such as the Beast of Bodmin Moor, stone circles and suchlike. One point of interest is the bid put forward to make the remaining ruins of the Cornish mining history a part of World Heritage. Although World Heritage Sites are usually associated with cultural landmarks such as the Great Wall of China, it is felt that industrial landscapes such as the Devon and Cornwall Mining Landscapes also have a vital role to play in helping current and future generations understand their heritage value. The Liskeard Annual Show will be held on the 8th July 2006 providing a fun day out for all the family. Liskeard Restaurants | Liskeard Pubs | Liskeard Accommodation | Map
Looe - If you are looking for the perfect location for a family holiday or simply an opportunity to wind down and get away from it all for a few days, the popular Cornish seaside town and harbour of Looe is the place for you. Click Here For Things To Do In Looe. Historic Looe has been a centre for fishing and seafaring for centuries and offers a refreshing and relaxing change from the hectic pace of modern life. It is located just 20 miles west of Plymouth with its mainline train station, airport and superb road connections, travelling to Looe is easy and convenient. There is a
great deal to do in Looe with a great choice of pubs, cafes and
restaurants, many serving locally caught seafood from the local fish
market. Enjoy wandering the cobbled streets of the village where you
will find art galleries, antique and gift shops and amusements for
the children. There are many historic buildings in the town
including the Guildhall, built around the turn of the 15th century.
There is always something going on in Looe with live music every
weekend and other times. Looe is a
great place to visit all year round, and is the perfect location for
exploring the rest of Cornwall, including the Eden Project & the
award winning Lost Gardens Of Heligan. Cornwall enjoys short winters
and the Looe climate is mild all year round. West Looe is the quieter side of town with a few shops and a good bar in West Looe Square. A few bars line the river bank on West Looe enjoying great views of the valley in the day time, and romantic views in the evening when the river is lit up on both sides of the harbour with colourful lights or the moon. From West Looe quayside you can get a full view of the working fish market on the East Looe side of the harbour. East Looe houses most of the shops selling everything from the traditional Cornish pasty to diamonds. The main streets through East Looe are dotted with coffee shops where you can sit and watch the locals as they rush about their business. Good pubs with fine ales and tempting menus are plentiful, some being partly built with timbers from the Armada that were washed up onto the nearby beaches in years gone by. In fact one of the bars on Fore Street used to be a pilchard store and situated at the base of a hill. To this day the floor of the bar is still sloped to allow the rainfall to pass through the bar and out onto the harbour at the rear, so bring your wellies in the winter! Another is rumoured to be haunted, having been a morgue and coffin store in its former years. Apparently, the curve in the stairs made it difficult to carry coffins out so a ‘coffin hole’ was made above the bay window in the bar which is still visible. . Fine restaurants line the streets and quayside and it is said that smugglers tunnels are tucked away under some of them, once leading out to the beachfront where they used to smuggle in the French brandy and other contraband. The maze of back streets in the centre of town is also home to some excellent eating-houses. Once the home for many a fisherman and his family (or in fact fish, some were again pilchard stores!) walking these streets gives you an imagery of the tight knit community as a thriving fishing town as it was. The working fish market in the East Looe quayside provides an interest if you can get up early enough. This market is still a shout market sending the local catches worldwide. You can sit on the quayside and enjoy the local fish and chips and watch the fishermen as they stitch their nets and service their boats fighting off the gulls as they sweep in for the scraps caught in the nets. During the season the quaysides are lined with families where adults and children alike enjoy the challenge of crab lining. If you’re lucky the fisherman may give you the odd mackerel for your bait. It can turn in to quite a competition though to see who can catch the most! Outlying villages are only a short drive away some with their own inns, bars and restaurants. These again are steeped in history. Morval Estate, 2 miles from Looe still owns a lot of the surrounding land , if fact the whole of the valley along the east side of the river sits on the edge of the beautiful Morval Estate owned since the 13th century by the Buller family who once held parliamentary seats for East and West Looe and were rivals to The Eliots of St Germans 20 minutes drive from Looe. The Eliots town house is now a pub bearing the Eliot name. Another place of historical interest is St Keyne situated in a beautiful valley between Looe and Liskeard. St Keyne is famous for its well surrounded by four trees; an Elm, an Ash, a Willow and an Oak. The romantic legend suggests that during the dark ages St Keyne, one of the 26 children of the king of Brecknockshire blessed the waters and to this day it holds special powers for newly weds or married couples alike, and has become the subject of a famous poem By Robert Southey (1774-1843). Looe Restaurants | Looe Pubs | Looe Accommodation | Map Lostwithiel is situated in the Fowey River valley on the main A390 route between Dobwalls & St Austell, just south of Bodmin and 5 miles north of Fowey. Lostwithiel, was founded by the Normans in the 11th century as an inland port, ‘The Port of Fawi’, for the export of tin down the then navigable Fowey River and out to sea. This created great wealth which only subsided when waste from the tin mines above Lostwithiel silted up the river and made it impossible for large boats to reach the quay. In the 13th century, Lostwithiel was the capital of Cornwall. Today, Lostwithiel has become known as the “Antiques Capital of Cornwall” with a dozen antiques shops and a regular auction at the Jefferys sales rooms. It was the Normans that first built a wooden castle overlooking Lostwithiel - Restormel Castle - replaced in the 13th century by a stone castle built by Edmund, Earl of Cornwall when Lostwithel became the capital of the Duchy of Cornwall. St Bartholomew’s Parish Church dates today boasts a 13th century lantern spire and a 14th century font. It was in the 14th century that Black Prince, 1st Duke of Cornwall, held court at the castle. Lostwithiel has many interesting historical features such as the Tudor Bridge, the Guildhall and the Old Duchy Palace and there is a small museum in the town. Lostwithiel is well worth a visit and the author of this article often picnics down at the river by the Tudor Bridge. There are quite a few pubs, brasseries and tea rooms to choose from if you want to eat out and the town has free car parking. For anyone interested in golf, Lostwithiel Golf and Country Club is a challenging Par 72 18 hole parkland course overlooked by Restormel Castle with magnificent views and a peaceful setting just outside the town. The St Veep Riding Stables are nearby at St Veep, Lerryn which is a lovely riverside village with a picnic area, café and pub, The Ship Inn. Lostwithiel Restaurants | Lostwithiel Pubs | Lostwithiel Accommodation | Map
Mevagissey
The bustling picturesque harbour town of Mevagissey provides a perfect base for your holiday in South East Cornwall. Situated on the south coast of Cornwall, the Mevagissey climate benefits from the Gulf Stream, which flows up from the Caribbean. Cornwall enjoys short winters and the Mevagissey climate is mild all year round so you will find that the flowers bloom earlier than many other places. Mevagissey Restaurants | Mevagissey Pubs | Mevagissey Accommodation | Map
Par
can
be found 5 miles east of St Austell along the south coast. The
harbour was built to ship copper mined in the area but after the
collapse of the copper market in the mid 19th century,
the harbour concentrated on the china clay industry. It is the main
port of export for the Cornish China Clay trade to this day.
Par
has some lovely long sandy beaches. The tide goes out for miles but there is still sand at high
tide. There is a large
car park close to the main beach which is favoured by locals and
families.
If
you enjoy visiting gardens then you could not be based in a better
place. Tregrehan Gardens consists of 20 acres of history and
horticulture and was created by the Carlyons, one of the most famous
families in Cornwalls's gardening past. Marsh
Villa Gardens is much smaller with 3 acres, consisting of several
‘garden rooms’ each with individual themes.
A very diverse garden, beautifully maintained and a pleasure
to behold. Last but not
least, at Bodelva in Par is the renowned Eden Project with its giant
biomes and magnificent plants from all over the world.
Between
Par and Fowey to the east you will find Polmear.
Polmear is home to the Rashleigh Almshouses, an impressive
row of terraced properties dating back to 1650.
They were restored by the Cornwall Buildings Preservation
Trust in 1977. The Rashleighs were a wealthy and powerful family in
Cornwall from the 16th century.
Par has a very nice pub called the Britannia Inn, offering a wide range of food and drink. The large enclosed gardens are pretty and well kept with a children’s play area. Par Restaurants | Par Pubs | Par Accommodation | Map Polperro Polperro is a 13th century fishing village situated on the south east coast of Cornwall. Sheltered in its cliff inlet, the fishing village of Polperro is a jumble of narrow streets and alley ways with tightly packed historic cottages leading down to a working harbour. As there is nowhere to park down by the harbour, visitors park in the large main car park at the top of the village and take a gentle stroll past the shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes down to the sea. There are also horse and cart rides and trams available to and from the car park all year round. There are many historic houses and buildings of interest in the village. Couch's House dates from 1595 and in the 19th century was lived in by Dr. Jonathan Couch, physician, naturalist and collector of fossils. When you are in the village, visit the Polperro Heritage Museum, open every day from March to October and packed with interesting artefacts and displays of the life and customs of Polperro through the centuries. Polperro harbour has always been and remains a working fishing port and at high tide you can watch the local boats unload their daily catch and take it to the fish quay on the inner harbour. If you talk nicely to the fishermen, you may even be able to acquire the freshest fish you have ever tasted and also enjoy a pint and live music in one of the many superb pubs, some of which date back to Medieval times. Artists have always been drawn to Polperro and every year, Polperro hosts an Arts & Music Festival which runs for an entire week in June. There is a permanent art exhibition featuring work by local painters and artists at the Polperro Arts Foundation close to the fish quay. At low and mid tide, there is a sandy beach in Polperro, rocky coves to explore and a rock pool that offers swimming at most times of the day, click here to find out what's going on in Polperro. Polperro Restaurants | Polperro Pubs | Polperro Accommodation | Map
The Roseland Peninsula is one of the finest unspoilt segments of the British Isles with beautiful beaches, countryside and villages. Many will have heard of St Mawes, perhaps the best known of the Roseland villages due to the fact that Poldark was filmed on location there and overlooks Falmouth to which it is linked by the Sir Harry Ferry. St Mawes Castle, built during the reign of Henry VIII along with it’s sister castle, Pendennis Castle to defend England against the French, is an interesting place to visit. Managed by English Heritage, St Mawes Castle is a fine example of Tudor military architecture, with its three circular bastions and gun ports covering every angle of approach. There are nice restaurants and pubs in St Mawes as well as a sailing club and tennis courts. Other villages on the peninsula such as St Just in Roseland, Gerrans, Philleigh, Veryan and Tregony are equally delightful. St Just in Roseland is probably best known for it’s church set in magnificent gardens and surrounded by National Trust owned land. Gerrans, a pretty inland village with shops and garden markets has a church with a medieval steeple that once aided sailors to find Falmouth. Veryan has early 19th century round houses, built without corners to stop the devil hiding . . . Portloe is said to rival Port Issac as an example of the quintessential Cornish fishing village Portscatho is also a delightful fishing village in a sheltered cove with a fine sandy beach. There are lots of fine beaches on the Roseland Peninsula, many of which are quiet and undeveloped. You can read about these beaches in our beach guide and they include Carne, Pendower, St Mawes, Porthcurnick, Portholland, Porthbeor and Towan.. A day trip to the unspoilt Roseland Peninsula is well worth while with something interesting for everyone in the family to enjoy. Roseland Restaurants | Roseland Pubs | Roseland Accommodation | Map
Saltash is the gateway to Cornwall if you are travelling down the A38 across the Tamar Bridge. Many visitors probably notice the town on the river bank as they cross the Tamar Bridge and wonder what it is like as they go through the tunnel in the rock that lies beneath the town of Saltash. it would be worth your while stopping next time and spending some time in
Saltash. Saltash Restaurants | Saltash Pubs | Saltash Accommodation | Map
St
Austell
Up
until the mid 18th century St Austell was no more than a
small settlement with a beautiful parish church.
When vast reserves of china clay were discovered (found in
few places in the world), it suddenly became very prosperous and the
population grew beyond recognition, attracting businesses and
families, most of whom had at least one member, but often all,
employed in the clay industry.
The church is still there today and worth seeing with its
tower carved from Pentewan stone.
St
Austell is now a large bustling market town with its shopping
precincts, cinemas and just about everything you could need.
It also has some of the best cliff walks in Cornwall and has
beaches at Carlyon Bay, Porthpean and Pentewan.
There is a beach at the port of Charlestown which is just one
mile away. Charlestown
Port was originally built to ship the china clay, as were many
others locally. Today
there is a Shipwreck and Heritage Centre there.
The
China Clay Country Park (previously call the Wheal Martyn
Museum) is 2 miles to the north of St Austell. Even if you are not
interested in the clay industry it is well worth a visit with its
interactive displays, original china clay works and machinery,
nature trails, play areas and so on.
Four
miles East of St Austell is the famous Eden Project.
Built in 1994, this spectacular site overlooks St Austell Bay
and is home to over 100,000 plants from all over the world.
The giant Biomes (Greenhouses) which give the Eden Project
its distinctive look, house the more tropical plants.
It would be a shame for anyone to visit this area and not
experience the
Eden
Project. St Austell Restaurants | St Austell Pubs | St Austell Accommodation | Map Torpoint is an important town on the banks of the River Tame, across from Plymouth. Prior to the building of the Tamar Toll Bridge in 1961, the Torpoint Ferry was a vital communications route between Cornwall & England (only joking . . . Cornwall & Devon) and indeed remains so today. Enabled by an act of parliament in 1791, the history of the Torpoint Ferry can be seen in detail on their website and it always makes a nice change to travel across the Hamoaze by ferry, particularly if you have been visiting the wonderful beaches of Whitsand Bay or any of the local attractions such as Anthony and Mount Edgcumbe. Today, there are three self propelled ferries which pull themselves along chains strung across the river Torpoint’s name derives from the Cornish ‘PennTorr’ meaning ‘prominent rocky point’. Locals use the nickname ‘Tar Point’ but this derives from the use of tar in the building of wooden ships which used to take place there.Torpoint was established by Sir Richard Carew-Pole in the 18th century. The existence of the Devonport Dockyard led to the growth of Torpoint as a ‘commuter town’ across the river and when the Royal Navy established their training facility in Torpoint, the town expanded further. The polpulation of Torpoint's is around 11,000 and there are many pubs and restaurants in the town. There are also interesting places to visit in the near localiy such as Mount Edgcumbe and the National Trust’s Antony House Torpoint Restaurants | Torpoint Pubs | Torpoint Accommodation | Map Truro, cathedral city and capital of Cornwall since the late 19th century is a thriving and vibrant place to be and no holiday in Cornwall is complete without a visit to Truro Truro was established in the 12th century when Richard Lucy built a castle during reign of Henry II on what is now the site of the Courts of Justice. By the 14th century Truro had become a significant inland port and stannary town. Historically, a stannary town was the administrative centre of a tin-mining district and Truro along with Lostwithiel, Bodmin, Liskeard and Helston were the five stannery towns of Cornwall. At Truro, tin (and Copper) were assayed and stamped, a guarantee of quality and source prior to shipping and export. It wasn’t the EU that thought of traceability . . . ! . During Elizabethan times, Truro received a charter from the Queen and became self-governing with an elected mayor. In 1645, at the time of the English Civil War between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers, Tresillian Bridge near Truro was the site of an important battle and victory for the parlimentarians. By 1648, The 2nd English Civil War was over and Charles 1 was beheaded in 1649. In the 18th and 19th centuries Truro flourished due to the wealth derived from tin and other mining along with other industrial activity. Elegant town houses were built by the mine owners and industrialists and Truro became known as the ‘London of Cornwall’ In Victorian times, Truro was granted city status in 1876 and the construction of Truro Cathedral commenced in 1880 on the site where the 16th century Parish Church of St Mary’s once stood. There are a number of interesting historical sites in Truro. The Coinage Hall is a Victorian building on the site of the 14th century coinage hall where tin was assayed and smelted and the 19th century City Hall is Italianate in design. Truro is home to the Royal Cornwall Museum and the Passmore Edwards Library. With Georgian streets and townhouses, Victorian cathedral, shops, pubs and restaurants, Truro is a very interesting place to visit and has a significant place in the history of Cornwall. Truro Restaurants | Truro Pubs | Truro Accommodation | Map
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