Cornwall’s capital sees thousands of tourists walk its streets and visit its shops every year. Its main shopping streets are well known by locals and well trodden by the hordes.
But the city also has a network of hidden alleys and lanes that are not so well known.
Truro's history can be dated back to an iron age settlement, long before it was promoted to city status in the 19th century and, like any town with such a long history, there are may architectural quirks to be seen.
One prominent feature that Truro has in common with towns across Cornwall is its network of alleyways and ‘opes’ (a Kernewek term for alleyway).
Here are some for you to seek out and explore next time you stroll through the city centre.
Robert’s Ope
Starting with one of the shortcuts still very much in use today, we have Robert’s Ope which can be accessed from either Boscawen or Lemon street. The steps down from the right of the public toilets at the bottom of Lemon Street take you down to a path that slopes up to the left round the rear of Mannings Hotel and Restaurant and up to Boscawen Street.
Exiting under the sign of Ernest Jones, this ope is relatively well kept and provides a handy cut through next to the River Kenwyn, which runs under the city and is exposed along part of this path, for those who know where it leads.
Coombe’s Lane
One little alley that follows out onto the busy pedestrianised street of Truro, Pydar Street, is Coombe’s Lane. Taking you down alongside the building occupied by WHSmith, this path is a little wider than some of the other opes and is a great example of how Truro’s architecture was designed to cope with the waterways of the Rivers Kenwyn and Allen, as to the right hand side of the lane, approaching Pydar Street, there is a ‘kennel’ where water runs alongside the footpath.
Church Walk
For those who visit Truro and head straight to Pydar Street, TK Max and Newlook, this walkway will be a familiar sight at the top of the road. Even if you are a frequent visitor to these shops, however, it would be very possible for you to go without using the rear exit and so you may have never walked this next path.
Church Walk can be accessed from behind the library and takes you up a windy path to the rear entrance of those shops and a handfull of establishments that can only be accessed on this path or from an exit of the High Cross multi-storey car park that backs onto it.
Pearson's Ope
Deceptively wide to start with from the other end, this next ope finishes with a much narrower opening onto Boscowan Street next to Wilko with some twists and turns along the way. This is a prime example of how a modern ope has taken on the role of bin alley as commercial waste bins take up some of the footpath but, with an unusual relatively grand archway from High Cross, next the the sweet shop, there is plenty of space to get by them, initially.
Tippetts Backlet
One of the most interesting little passageways, used by many as a way of accessing The Leats from River Street, is Tippetts Backlet. This is just one of the avenues that leads out to this area of town and can be accessed to the right of the Oggy Oggy Pasty Shop.
With the main stretch of path occupied by Cloisters restaurant on the left, the slope takes you round and up to The Leats, where Pydar Street can be accessed via other opes and lanes such as Coombe's Lane or Swifty’s Ope. A few other cut-throughs run parallel to Tippetts Backlet.
Squeeze Guts Alley
Possibly the most famous out of all of Truro’s hidden walkways is Squeeze Guts Alley. It’s unknown where the pathway gets its name but it is thought that it could be a combination of its narrow width and, perhaps, a reference to the sight as a notorious location for bust-ups after dark.
Read about the secrets of Squeeze Guts Alley - Truro's naughtiest street - here.
It has also been speculated that it might have come from the fact that there used to be a fishmonger based next to the ope.
Taking you through from Duke Street to St Mary’s Street, the tight avenue is a source of mystery for anyone interested in the Truro’s history.
Walsingham Place
On a slightly grander scale, Walsingham Place is a quaint blast from the past, built when Truro was in its heyday in the 1800s. It it thought that the Georgian properties were designed by a man named Phillip Sambell, who was blind and deaf, and were home to clerks, a wheelwright, butcher, wine and spirit merchant, ironmonger, fancy chair maker, English teacher and the wife and family of an Inland Revenue officer called Mugford.
The properties are now used predominantly by businesses and, poignantly, are where the Cornwall-based and internationally renowned Kneehigh Theatre has its offices.
Carne’s Ope
Not all of Truro’s historic paths are still walkable and Carne’s Ope is an example of one that is now completely inaccessible to the public.
Recent plans have been proposed by councillors to reopen the path but it is thought that there are blockages preventing the walkway from Boscawen Street to the Lemon Quay from being re-opened.
The ope, now blocked from both sides, runs from the door that makes up part of the frontage of Uneeka on the Boscawen Street side, through to another door that it situated next to the entrance to the Market Inn on Lemon Quay.
See the full story of the rediscovery of Carne's Ope and calls for it to be reopened here.
Read about the family of 12 who slept in the ope here.
Read about how this ancient narrow way was hidden for 60 years here.
Truro is a city full of curiosities, with many opes and alleys for visitors to explore, not all of which are listed above.
The town’s history spans thousands of years, with telling signs everywhere you look.
