“Where In Truro Can You Find Victoria, Edward And Alexandra?”

A Memory of Truro.

I remember visiting my grandmother in Truro as a child, and being intrigued when she asked me if I knew what ‘Victoria, Edward and Alexandra’ were. Then she told me that the answer can be found on Truro’s great glory, its beautiful cathedral that soars sublimely over the roofs. Though it gives the impression of great antiquity, it was built between 1880 and 1909, designed by J L Pearson in the Early English style. The central tower and the twin towers of the west front are somewhat unusual for Cornwall in that they have spires, giving Truro Cathedral a grand total of three spires in all, known as ‘Victoria, Edward and Alexandra’. The central, and tallest, spire was named Victoria in honour of the Queen, who died in the year it was commissioned. The later twin western spires were named after Queen Victoria’s successor, King Edward VII, and Alexandra, his Queen; as the Prince of Wales, Edward had laid the foundation stones of the cathedral in 1880.