Quay walls and railings
Walls and railings, Town Quay, Truro, Cornwall
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1201539
- Date first listed:
- 30-Jul-1993
- List Entry Name:
- Quay walls and railings
- Statutory Address:
- Walls and railings, Town Quay, Truro, Cornwall
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Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2002-06-01
- Reference:
- IOE01/05937/30
- Rights:
- © Margaret Hocking. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1201539
- Date first listed:
- 30-Jul-1993
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 15-May-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Quay walls and railings
- Statutory Address 1:
- Walls and railings, Town Quay, Truro, Cornwall
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Walls and railings, Town Quay, Truro, Cornwall
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Cornwall (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Truro
- National Grid Reference:
- SW8289844681
Summary
Quay walls of early-C18 date with later rebuilding and C20 railings.
Reasons for Designation
Quay Walls and Railings at Town Quay, Truro are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* the early-C18 promontory quay walls retain their character as harbour features in Cornwall’s Cathedral City, despite some later rebuilding;
* for the use of Cornish killas stone and granite materials in a distinctive arrangement;
* the C20 railings are of a fitting design and, along with the replacement granite copings, contribute to the overall aesthetic of the quay.
Historic interest:
* as an uncommon survival of early-C18 quay walls they are among the earliest structures relating to the mooring of marine craft and illustrate the former importance of Truro as an inland port and an industrial and maritime centre.
Group value:
* for the contribution to the historic character of Truro and its other listed buildings.
History
Town Quay is at the confluence of the rivers Allen and Kenwyn there they join to form the start of the Truro River. The earliest parts of the quay wall date to the early C18 and there have been different phases of rebuilding and replacement since that time. Railings were installed on the coping stones in the C20 and there is some repair work of late C20 date. The Boscawen Bridge was built across the north and eastern ends of the walls in 1969.
Details
Promontory quay walls of early-C18 date and later.
MATERIALS: killas stone, granite copings and iron railings.
DESCRIPTION: the two main sections of quay wall are broadly set on a V formation along the courses of the two rivers that the quay stands between. At the southern end, where they adjoin, the wall is rounded, has been partly rendered and has C18 copings with iron cramps. To the right (River Allen side) are sections of wall built in vertically-set Killas, which are the oldest parts of the wall. Other sections of wall are constructed of roughly-coursed Killas. The walls have granite copings and railings of C20 date.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 377604
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Beacham, P, Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Cornwall, (2014), 682
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 05-Jun-2026 at 20:42:23.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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