Kings, ruins and THAT car park … it’s no mystery why Leicester is a history hotspot
TO MY knowledge, before I visited Leicester I’d never posed for a photo in a car park.
But, then again, it was this unassuming council car park that had attracted the world’s media in 2012, all keen to take plenty of photos, when the skeleton of King Richard III was discovered buried beneath a parking bay.
Richard’s grisly death at Bosworth Battlefield in 1485 and the mystery of where his body lay for more than 500 years is dramatic enough, but throw in the Princes in the Tower controversy and his disputed appearance, and the intrigue grows.
Leicester was quick to capitalise on its new-found celebrity, and the state-of-theart KR III Visitor Centre, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, was swiftly opened. And just as a reminder of Richard’s status, there’s a display showing the grand thespians who have played him on stage, including Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Spacey and Sir Mark Rylance.
The Visitor Centre isn’t the only place where you’ll bump into Richard. A walking trail snaking around the city stops at key spots, including the 12th Century St Mary de Castro Church where he probably prayed the night before the battle. Other stops include the timber-framed 14th Century Guildhall, Bow Bridge, which he likely crossed on the way to Bosworth, and Leicester Cathedral, where his body now lies since a reinternment ceremony in 2015.
But while Leicester is proud to be the permanent home to such a prominent figure, it has other historic curiosities too.
The Romans called the city Ratae Corieltavorum, and the imposing Jewry Wall is one of Britain’s largest surviving Roman structures – its visitor centre reopens later this year following a multi-millionpound refurbishment.
I also came across the Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower, an ornate Victorian edifice that was Britain’s first traffic island. Then there’s the handsome building sitting incongruously above a Foot Locker, with friezes depicting steam trains. This is Thomas Cook Building, which dates back to 1894 and was built in honour of the travel pioneer, a local boy whose name also went all around the world. WHERE TO STAY: St Martin’s Lodge is a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse and one of the city’s best boutique offerings. You pick up your room keys from the St Martin’s Conference Centre across the street. A slightly confusing start, but all is tempered inside the smart and spacious rooms. Doubles from £95 (stmartinslodge.co.uk).