[4][5][full citation needed] A castle was built in the 12th century by Richard de Luci, Chief Justice of England in the reign of Henry II, who for court services was granted land in Cornwall, including the area round the confluence of the two rivers.

The small adulterine castle at Truro, Cornwall, originally the parish of Kenwyn, later known as "Castellum de Guelon", was probably built by him in 1139–1140.

The castle passed to Reginald FitzRoy, an illegitimate son of Henry I, when he was invested by King Stephen as the first Earl of Cornwall.

[7] By the early 14th century Truro was a major port, due to an inland location away from invaders, to prosperity from the fishing industry, and to a role as a stannary town for assaying and stamping tin and copper from Cornish mines.

[8] During the Civil War in the 17th century, Truro raised a sizeable force to fight for the king and a royalist mint was set up.

Defeat by Parliamentary troops came after the Battle of Naseby in 1646, when the victorious General Fairfax led his army south-west to relieve Taunton and capture the Royalist-held West Country.

[9] Later in the century, Falmouth gained its own charter, giving rights to its harbour and starting a long rivalry with Truro.

"[10] Truro prospered in the 18th and 19th centuries through improved mining methods and higher prices for tin, and its consequent attraction to wealthy mine-owners.

Among the many notables were Richard Lander, the first European explorer to reach the mouth of the River Niger in Africa and was awarded the first gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society, and Henry Martyn, who read mathematics at Cambridge, was ordained and became a missionary, translating the New Testament into Urdu and Persian.

Others include Humphry Davy, educated in Truro and the inventor of the miner's safety lamp, and Samuel Foote, an actor and playwright from Boscawen Street.

The valleys form a steep bowl surrounding the city on the north, east and west, open to the Truro River in the south.

Other protected zones include an Area of Great Landscape Value comprising farmland and wooded valleys to the north east, and Daubuz Moors, a local nature reserve by the River Allen, close to the city centre.

As Truro grew, it encompassed other settlements as suburbs or districts, including Kenwyn and Moresk to the north, Trelander to the east, Newham to the south, and Highertown, Treliske and Gloweth to the west.

This means fewer extremes in temperature than elsewhere in England, marked by high rainfall, cool summers and mild winters with infrequent frosts.

There are about 22,000 jobs available in Truro, but only 9,500 economically active people living there, which make commuting a major factor in its traffic congestion.

[citation needed] Truro's dominant feature is its Gothic-revival cathedral, designed by architect John Loughborough Pearson, rising 249 ft (76 m) above the city at its highest spire.

In April, Truro prepares to partake in the Britain in Bloom competition, with floral displays and hanging baskets dotted around the city throughout the summer.

A continental market comes to Truro in the holiday-making season, featuring food and craft stalls from France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece and elsewhere.

The Truro City Carnival, held every September over a weekend, includes various arts and music performances, children's activities, a fireworks display, food and drinks fairs, a circus and a parade.

[23][24] Truro temporarily hosted the Cornish Pirates rugby union club in the 2005–2006 season, but it moved again for 2006–2007 to share the ground of Camborne RFC.

The city council has four wards – Boscawen and Redannick, Moresk and Trehaverne, Tregolls, and Malabar – with 24 councillors elected for four-year terms.

[53][54] Cornwall Council, a unitary authority, is based at Lys Kernow, formerly County Hall, west of the city centre.

Buses based at Langarth Park in Threemilestone carry commuters into the city via Truro College, the Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske, County Hall, the railway station, the Royal Cornwall Museum and Victoria Square, through to a second car park on the east side of the city.

[59] Truro is served by long-distance coach services, operated by National Express; there are daily departures to London, Birmingham and Penzance.

The fleet run by Enterprise Boats, as part of the Fal River Links; it calls on the way at Malpas, Trelissick, Tolverne and St Mawes.

[69] The sisterhood was founded by the Bishop of Truro, George Howard Wilkinson in 1883 and closed in 2001 when two surviving nuns moved into care homes.

[70] St Paul's Church, built with a tower on a river bed with poor foundations, has fallen into disrepair and is no longer used.

Major proposals include construction of a distributor road to carry traffic away from the busy Threemilestone-Treliske corridor, reconnecting at Penventinnie Lane.

[73] Changes proposed for the city centre include traffic restrictions in some of the main shopping streets and the encouragement of conversion of appropriate commercial properties back to residential use.

[76] Along with redevelopment of the waterfront, a tidal barrier is planned to dam water into the Truro River, which is currently blighted by mud banks that appear at low tide.