Leicester Cathedral
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Leicester ( / ˈlɛstər / ⓘ LES-tər) [ 7] is a city, unitary authority area, unparished area and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a population of 373,399 in 2022. [ 4]
Leicester is a friendly city, bursting with heritage and culture. We have wonderful attractions, top restaurants and great night life. Visit Leicester today!
Aug 9, 2024 · Leicester, city and unitary authority, geographic and historic county of Leicestershire, England. It lies on the River Soar and the Grand Union Canal. Leicester was the site of a prominent Roman settlement (Ratae Corieltauvorum) that marked the point where the Fosse Way (a Roman road) crossed the River Soar. The Jewry Wall, a remnant of a Roman ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Explore its rich history through museums and architecture, before journeying to the present day with Europe’s tallest street art. Tour Leicester City’s King Power Stadium or head to the Golden Mile to absorb rich cultural diversity. Take your pick from cycle routes, climbing walls, kayaking and everything in-between.
- King Richard III Visitor Centre
- Leicester Cathedral
- National Space Centre
- Leicester Guildhall
- New Walk Museum and Art Gallery
- Abbey Park
- Church of St Mary de Castro
- Great Central Railway
- University of Leicester Botanic Garden
- Abbey Pumping Station
The last Plantagenet monarch, immortalised as a villain by Shakespeare, King Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. His body was then paraded 15 miles into Leicester and unceremoniously buried at the Greyfriars Friary. This was demolished during the Reformation and by the 20th century the site had become a car park. The sea...
In 2015 Richard III’s remains were officially reinterred at Leicester Cathedral. You can find his tomb in the chancel, comprising a large block of light Swaledale limestone, deeply etched with the shape of a cross, on top of a darker limestone plinth quarried from Kilkenny. The cathedral goes back to 1086, but most of its architecture is from a neo...
Leicester university is one of the few institutions in the country offering courses in the space sciences, so the city is an apt location for the National Space Centre. Most of the exhibits are in the Rocket Tower, an outlandish building clad with bubbles of partially transparent EFTE plastic. In the six galleries you can see one of the only Soviet...
Leicester’s town hall until the 1870s, the timber-framed Guildhall was founded at the end of the 14th century as a meeting place for the Corpus Christi guild. This was an association of businessmen and men of high social status, all with connections to the church. The Guildhall has an absorbing history, as Shakespeare is believed to have appeared h...
Founded in 1849 as one of the UK’s first public museums, the New Walk has the country’s outstanding collection of German Expressionist art, with pieces by stars of the movement like Paul Klee and Kandinsky, going back to when the German Hans Hess was assistant curator. In 2007 the actor Richard Attenborough donated a huge trove of art to the museum...
Straddling the River Soar, Abbey Park is a 90-acre public park with exciting pieces of history dotted around. The park opened in 1882 and is named for St Mary’s Abbey, which was set on the west bank of the Soar. Founded in the 12th century, this Augustinian monastery was once the richest in Leicestershire, and was the place where Thomas Wolsey died...
On the grounds of Leicester Castle, the Grade I listed Church of St Mary de Castro is one of the oldest buildings in the city, dating to the start of the 12th century. Big pieces of the original walls remain, as well as a host of elements from an expansion made in the 1160s. The north and west doorways have superb Norman Romanesque zigzag ornamenta...
At Leicester North you can take your seat on the UK’s only mainline heritage railway. The Great Central Railway is the only line in the world where you’ll see full-sized steam locomotives passing one another. The line is open every weekend, as well as bank holidays and certain weekdays during the school summer holidays. Serving the line are 15 heri...
To the southeast of the city, the University of Leicester’s Botanic Garden is run by the genetics department and has 16 acres of neatly manicured formal parterres, lawns, sculpture, ponds, pergolas and glasshouses. In these buildings you’ll see the cactuses and succulents, as well as flowers being readied for the summer season. The garden also host...
Next to the Soar and moments from the National Space Centre is the city’s museum of science and technology. The Abbey Pumping Station was established in 1891 as a sewage pumping station, sending this waste a couple of miles west to Beaumont Leys. What makes the station so special is its grand brick industrial architecture and the four Woolf steam-p...
Things to Do in Leicester, England: See Tripadvisor's 197,448 traveler reviews and photos of Leicester tourist attractions. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in August. We have reviews of the best places to see in Leicester. Visit top-rated & must-see attractions.
There's lots to see and do in Leicester, from museums and heritage to sport, festivals, music and world class attractions - there's something for everyone!
