Leicester Castle – from Norman power base to school of business
AMOTTE- AND- BAILEY castle was built in about 1068 inside the southwest corner of the town and became the centre of power for the first Norman overlord of Leicester, Hugh de Grandmesnil.
In 1107, Robert de Beaumont, first Earl of Leicester is thought to have replaced the timber defences with stone and also founded a college of canons (community of priests) in the Church of St Mary de Castro in the bailey.
In about 1150, his son Robert “le Bossu” (the hunchback), the second Earl, built the Great Hall.
This was an immense stone aisled building divided into a nave and two aisles, with a timber roof supported on oak posts.
It survives today, although much altered.
The lord and important retainers would have sat at the north end of the hall, and in the centre of the building was a large open hearth.
Doors at the north end led to the lord’s private apartments, whilst at the south end there was access to a separate kitchen above an undercroft (John of Gaunt’s cellar), where ale, wine and food would have been stored.
The castle later became the residence of the earls, later dukes, of Lancaster and reached its greatest extent in the 14th century, becoming central to Lancastrian interests in the Midlands.
Thomas, Earl of Leicester and Lancaster invested heavily in renovating it and his successors spent much time there. During the latter half of the century, the castle was a favoured residence of John of Gaunt (the fourth son of Edward III).
The 14th century accounts refer to many buildings which have long since disappeared, including a dancing chamber and the countess’s chamber, and there was also a herb
garden and a watermill in what is now Castle Gardens.
In 1399, the castle ceased to be a ducal residence when the second Duke of Lancaster, Henry Bolingbroke, became Henry IV. As one of many royal residences it probably began to decline in importance after this point.
There was a flurry of building works in the first two decades of the 15th century, with the construction of the Turret Gateway dividing the castle from the Newarke, and remodelling of the kitchen block to the south of the Great Hall with the addition of a vault and polygonal turrets to John of Gaunt’s Cellar. Further rebuilding took place in the middle of the 15th century, follow
ing a fire, and the Castle Gateway was rebuilt as a timber-framed gatehouse with an adjoining two-storey range of apartments.
During the late 15th century the castle was still occasionally used as a royal residence – Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI and Edward IV are all known to have stayed there.
Richard III also stayed there twice in 1483, signing letters “from my castle at Leicester”. This is the last record of the occupation of the castle by a member of the royal family.
The castle continued to play an important role after the medieval period.
Assizes and Quarter Sessions continued to be held at the castle until 1972, when they were abolished and replaced by the Crown Court. In 1821, the Great Hall was divided into two court rooms with further alterations and the addition of a cell block in 1858. The courts were laid out as a civil court and a criminal court, with jury room, judges’ rooms and viewing galleries.
The courts were in use until 1992 when they moved to a new location in the city centre. The Great Hall, previously known as the Hall of Kings and Palace of the Midlands, has remained largely vacant since, opening to the public for special events.
De Montfort University is the newest resident of the building, opening as the Leicester Castle Business School in 2016.
The university worked closely with Historic England to ensure much of the building remained untouched, and a few additional features, including a Norman arch, were discovered by archaeologists working on the exploration.
■ Words and pictures courtesy of Leicester City Council’s Story of Leicester.