Daubuz Moors

Daubuz Moors is a nature reserve near the centre of Truro in Cornwall. The land was given to the citizens of Truro in 1977 by the Rev. C. Enys to mark the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and the city’s centenary. It covers 18 acres of former water-meadows managed by Truro City Council and volunteers. The reserve keeps a variety of habitats including a stream, flower-rich wetlands, wildflower meadows and Cornish hedges. It is named after Lewis Charles Daubuz, a local resident of French Huguenot descent. The site once formed part of the Daubuz family’s tin-smelting business at Carvedras. For many years cattle and sheep grazed here, and people also used it for recreation. At the southern end stood Moresk Mill, which ground flour for most of the 19th century. Water powered the mill, and traces of its leat, millpool and sluices can still be seen. The western edge of Daubuz Moors follows the River Allen, a tributary of the Truro River. The river passes under Moresk railway viaduct, where fourteen stone pillars of the original wooden bridge remain beside the later stone structure. The name Daubuz comes from the French ‘D’Aubus’ and is pronounced ‘dobz’.