Take a creepy journey through Truro on a self-guided ghost tour uncovering eerie tales, haunted landmarks and chilling local legends
Step into the winding streets of Cornwall’s only city on this Truro ghost tour.
From phantom footsteps in ancient lanes to haunted pubs where the ale isn’t the only thing with a spirit, this self-guided walk reveals the shadows behind the cathedral’s spires.
Truro Railway Station – Station Road, TR1 3HH
We begin where most visitors first set foot in Truro.
The station is modern by ghost-tour standards, yet many travellers have reported the odd sensation of being followed down the platform late at night.
A dark figure has been glimpsed drifting across the bridge, vanishing before reaching the far side.
Whether railway ghost or something older from the land beneath, it’s a fitting first whisper before we enter the heart of the city.
Walk 10 minutes along Boscawen Street to our next stop.
Carclew Street, Site of the 1821 Truro Poltergeist
In the summer of 1821, this quiet street became the stage for one of Cornwall’s strangest supernatural outbreaks.
Stones rained down on a family home, shattering windows, denting walls, even startling the mayor when he came to investigate.
For three weeks, the city was on edge, whispering of witchcraft and curses.
Eventually, a teenage boy confessed to throwing the stones, but many witnesses swore they’d seen projectiles appear from nowhere, and some incidents happened when he was nowhere near the house.
Sceptics call it mischief; believers say the confession was a convenient end to something far stranger.
Read about the Truro Poltergeist on Spooky Cornwall.
Walk six minutes along Lemon Street to the cathedral.
Truro Cathedral, Cathedral Close, TR1 2FQ
The cathedral’s Gothic spires seem to reach for the clouds, but the shadows they cast fall long across the streets below.
Built between 1880 and 1910 on the site of the old parish church, the cathedral has inherited centuries of burials beneath its foundations.
Visitors sometimes hear slow, deliberate footsteps on the stone floor when the aisles are empty.
A figure in a dark cassock has been spotted by the choir stalls, disappearing into thin air.
Even the vergers admit that certain corners of the building are avoided after dusk—too many cold draughts and flickers in the corner of the eye.
Walk four minutes to High Cross.
High Cross and the Assembly Rooms, High Cross, TR1
High Cross is one of Truro’s oldest gathering places, a cobbled square where fairs, markets and public meetings have been held for centuries.
In Georgian times, the Assembly Rooms hosted elegant dances and theatre performances.
Locals tell of hearing faint music here long after the buildings have gone quiet.
On still nights, shadows seem to dance across the paving stones, as though the spirits of long-dead revellers are still stepping out under candlelight.
Walk two minutes to our first haunted pub.
The Wig and Pen, 1 Frances Street, TR1 3DP
This pub is known today for good food and Cornish ales, but it has its own quieter patrons.
Staff have heard voices in locked rooms, footsteps on the stairs when no one’s there, and glasses sliding across the bar of their own accord.
Some believe the activity is linked to the building’s 19th-century role as a meeting place for legal minds—lawyers and journalists who may have returned to argue their cases beyond the grave.
If you’re brave enough, linger here for a drink and see if you catch a whisper of a verdict from another era.
Walk six minutes towards the city edge.
Comprigney, Gallows Field
Now a quiet area of houses and greenery, Comprigney was once known as Gallows Field—the place where Truro’s condemned met their end.
Executed criminals were sometimes left hanging in irons, their bodies swaying for days as a warning.
It’s no surprise that people have reported rattling chains, sudden drops in temperature and fleeting figures here after dark.
Some claim the smell of smoke hangs in the air without reason, as if the crowd has only just dispersed.
Walk eight minutes back into the city for a final drink.
The Old Ale House, 7 Quay Street, TR1 2HD
One of Truro’s oldest pubs, The Old Ale House exudes history.
Wooden beams, low ceilings and the smell of hops create a timeless atmosphere—but it’s the upstairs rooms that hold the ghost stories.
Barrels have rolled on their own, doors slam without wind, and a man in Victorian dress has been spotted nursing a pint before vanishing into thin air.
As you finish your walk here, raise a glass to the city’s spirits—both the liquid and the lingering kind.
Suggested Walking Route:
- Truro Railway Station → Carclew Street (10 minutes)
- Carclew Street → Truro Cathedral (six minutes)
- Cathedral → High Cross (four minutes)
- High Cross → The Wig and Pen (two minutes)
- Wig and Pen → Comprigney (six minutes)
- Comprigney → The Old Ale House (eight minutes)
Total walking time: approximately 36 minutes (excluding stops)
Have you ever seen or felt something strange in Truro? Tell us in the comments – your story may join the city’s ghostly legends.
