The English cathedral built from scratch on a brand new site

Countries & Cities · Published 4 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Since 1220, few Anglican cathedrals have been constructed on entirely new ground. In Cornwall, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary rose from the ruins of a 16th-century parish church, creating a Gothic Revival masterpiece that redefined the skyline of Truro.

Construction of the cathedral began in 1880, following the establishment of the Diocese of Truro in 1876. The architect, John Loughborough Pearson, designed the structure in a Gothic Revival style that blended Early English elements with French influences, such as rose windows and prominent spires. To achieve this, builders utilized a variety of materials, including Mabe and St Stephen's granite, alongside Bath and Polyphant stone. The finished work features a central tower reaching 250 feet and western towers of 200 feet.

The project was a generational undertaking. While Pearson led the initial design, his son, Frank Loughborough Pearson, took over the project following his father's death in 1897. The building's evolution spanned decades, with the central tower completed by 1905 and the western towers finally finished in 1910. Interestingly, the cathedral's history is physically anchored to its predecessor; the south aisle of the original St Mary the Virgin church was preserved and remains part of the modern structure as St Mary's Aisle.

The site's history also includes a period of transition. Before the stone edifice was ready, a temporary wooden structure served the congregation from 1880 to 1887. This modest building, which housed fewer than 400 people, was known for being uncomfortably hot in the summer and freezing in the winter. It was within this temporary space that Bishop Edward White Benson introduced the beloved Christmas Eve tradition of Nine Lessons and Carola in 1880.

Today, the cathedral faces modern challenges, particularly regarding the erosion of its decorative Bath Stone due to the salty, sandy Cornish maritime climate. This has led to significant restoration efforts, including the 'Save Our Spire' campaign, to protect the intricate stonework from honeycomb-like decay.

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