Truro in Cornwall has just been named the BDSM capital of England. Yes, really
Truro is probably not the first town that springs to mind when you think about bondage and discipline, dominance and submission or sadism and masochism (Geograph/Creative Commons/Derek Voller)
Truro in Cornwall has just been named the “BDSM capital of England”, according to podcast Talking Kinky.
BDSM is an umbrella term for a variety of sexual practices including bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, and sadism, all things you probably wouldn’t associate with a twee, sleepy seaside town.
According to search engine analysis from experts at Talking Kinky, the small Cornish town of Truro is the kinkiest place in England, with the term “BDSM” searched over 3,074 times a month per 10,000 people in Truro – over four times the national average.
Among the top five kinkiest English cities alongside Truro were Ely in Cambridgeshire, Durham, Ripon in Yorkshire, and Chichester.
Conversely, at the bottom of the list with just 206 searches of BDSM a month per 10,000 people were London, followed by Bradford, Leeds, Dudley and Birmingham.
Talking Kinky explained that “more people are embracing BDSM” in the UK because society is “having more open and informed conversations about relationships, pleasure, and autonomy”.
“At its core, BDSM is about trust, respect, and communication – values that should be celebrated, not stigmatised. When practiced responsibly, it can be a powerful way for people to connect and express themselves,” Isabelle, from Talking Kinky, explained.
“Removing the taboo allows for better education, safer practices, and a more inclusive understanding of intimacy,” she added.
“Foot jobs” were popular in Leeds
While BDSM was found to be popular in Cornwall, research from 2024 found that some of the UK’s most popular kinks as a whole were “bondage”, followed by “giantess”, “tickling” and “wrestling”.
The research, undertaken by fetish platform Clips4Sale, found that feet were high on the list of kinks popular around the UK, with feet making it to the top fetish for the City of London, while “foot jobs” were popular in Leeds.
Other popular kinks included “giantess” (top in Manchester and Glasgow) and “smoking” (Northern Ireland and Brighton).
“The British are united in their love of kink and fetish. From the bondage in Bristol to spanking in Sheffield, it’s amazing to see the diversity,” the site said.
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