What’s going for it? It’s very nice, Truro. That sounds like damning with faint praise, but it’s not. In this age of Twitter trolls and sharpened elbows, niceness is an underrated virtue. Truro has its moments of magnificence – its neo-gothic Victorian cathedral, perhaps, three spires stretched to the clouds. But its real virtue lies in gentler pleasures: handsome streets of stone terraces speckled with palm trees, a pasty in the Pannier Market, the geography of deep creeks and folded hills, its Trollopean cultural life of recitals and food festivals. People always lust after the coast in Cornwall, forgetting that there are perfectly smashing spots like Truro a short drive away from sandy coves, and a world away from tourist coaches, overpriced fishing villages and Hooray Henrys. This is your reminder.
The case against It’s a small city, so as always in Cornwall, competition for homes is tough; its geography of hills and valleys gums up the traffic something rotten.
Well connected? Trains: half-hourly to Falmouth (21 mins), to Penzance (36-44 mins), St Austell (16 mins) and Plymouth (about 75 mins). Driving: 30 mins to Falmouth, 20 to 30 mins to coves at St Agnes or sand at Gerrans Bay, 45 mins to St Ives or Penzance.
Schools Primaries: Bosvigo, Tregolls and Archbishop Benson CofE are all “good”, says Ofsted, with St Mary’s CofE “outstanding”. Secondaries: Penair and Richard Lander are “good”; plus the independent Truro School and Truro High.
Hang out at… Bone China, a quirky vintage-style cafe/restaurant that specialises in cocktails in teacups and tapas platters.
Where to buy Oh me oh my, some lovely homes. Great streets of sturdy stone terraces, delightful late Regency townhouses and Victorian villas. Top billing, though, goes to the gorgeous stone Georgians on Lemon Street, which morphs into Regency and Victorian villas on Falmouth Road. Look north, too, between Carvoza Road and Mitchell Hill, and Tregolls Road, and west on and off Chapel Hill. Large detacheds and townhouses, £450,000-£1m. Detacheds and smaller townhouses, £250,000-£450,000. Semis, £170,000-£400,000. Terraces and cottages, £150,000-£425,000. Flats, £450,000. Rentals: a one-bedroom flat, £575-£700pcm; a three-bedroom house, £725-£1,000pcm.
Bargain of the week Look at this tile-hung, three-bedroom detached cottage – yours for £159,950 with philip-martin.co.uk.
From the streets
Jill Carr “The tidal river and sea birds reminds you that Truro was once a thriving quayside town.”
Rodney Tinson “A small gem of a city surrendered to the car in the 1950s, when its port was paved over to provide parking space. Now blighted by traffic and thoughtless sixties architecture.”
Tania Williams “Primark, Wilko et al threaten the independent spirit of our big Little City.”
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