104-503: Leicester City Centre is Leicester 's historical commercial, cultural and transport hub and is home to its central business district. Its inner core is roughly delineated by the A594 , Leicester's inner ring road , although the various central campuses of the University of Leicester , De Montfort University and Leicester College are adjacent to the inner ring road and could be considered to be
208-461: A John Lewis , a multiplex cinema, apartments, 2 public squares and al fresco dining and is the start of many regeneration projects in Leicester that have started to come to fruition. To the east of Charles Street the city centre is dominated by disused factories and warehouses (which also have some presence in the other outer areas of the city centre). Conversion of these to residential accommodation
312-465: A Leicester Urban Area (LUA); broadly the immediate Leicester conurbation , although without administrative status. The LUA contains the unitary authority area and several towns, villages and suburbs outside the city's administrative boundaries. Suburbs and districts of Leicester (ancient villages now incorporated into the city are shown in bold) Leicester experiences a maritime climate with mild to warm summers and cool winters, rain spread throughout
416-502: A wider pattern that led to the expulsion of the Jewish population from England in 1290. During the 14th century, the earls of Leicester and Lancaster enhanced the prestige of the town. Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and of Leicester founded a hospital for the poor and infirm in the area to the south of the castle now known as The Newarke (the "new work"). Henry's son, the great Henry of Grosmont , 4th Earl of Lancaster and of Leicester, who
520-752: A 50% ethnic minority population, making it the first city in Britain not to have a white British majority. This prediction was based on the growth of the ethnic minority populations between 1991 (Census 1991 28% ethnic minority) and 2001 (Census 2001 – 36% ethnic minority). However, Professor Ludi Simpson at the University of Manchester School of Social Sciences said in September 2007 that the CRE had "made unsubstantiated claims and ignored government statistics" and that Leicester's immigrant and minority communities disperse to other places. The Leicester Multicultural Advisory Group
624-551: A bishopric again until the Church of St Martin became Leicester Cathedral in 1927. The settlement was recorded under the name Ligeraceaster in the early 10th century. Following the Norman conquest , Leicester was recorded by William 's Domesday Book as Ledecestre . It was noted as a city ( civitas ) but lost this status in the 11th century owing to power struggles between the Church and
728-706: A continuation of the City centre. In a similar way, the Leicester Royal Infirmary precinct, New Walk business district ( Southfields ), the Welford Road Stadium of Leicester Tigers’ RUFC and the King Power Stadium of Leicester City to the south, and the Golden Mile to the north could also be deemed to be extensions to the central core. The city centre incorporates most of Leicester's shopping, with
832-609: A corruption of the original " Corieltauvians ". The Corieltauvians are believed to have ruled over roughly the area of the East Midlands . It is believed that the Romans arrived in the Leicester area around AD 47, during their conquest of southern Britain . The Corieltauvian settlement lay near a bridge on the Fosse Way , a Roman road between the legionary camps at Isca ( Exeter ) and Lindum ( Lincoln ). It remains unclear whether
936-508: A ford across the larger channel. The later Roman name was a latinate form of the Brittonic word for "ramparts" (cf. Gaelic rath and the nearby villages of Ratby and Ratcliffe ), suggesting the site was an oppidum . The plural form of the name suggests it was initially composed of several villages. The Celtic tribe holding the area was later recorded as the " Coritanians " but an inscription recovered in 1983 showed this to have been
1040-450: A king Leir of Britain as an eponymous founder in his Historia Regum Britanniae (12th century). Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, with a history going back at least two millennia. The native Iron Age settlement encountered by the Romans at the site seems to have developed in the 2nd or 1st centuries BC . Little is known about this settlement or the condition of
1144-401: A link road that would improve access between the two bus stations and allow for more pedestrianisation around the clock tower area. Leicester London Road is now the only railway station in the city centre, after the closure of Leicester Belgrave Road and Leicester Central in the 1960s. There are more than 8,500 off-street car parking spaces available in four distinct parking zones around
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#17328526738331248-400: A marker of anti-Asian sentiment throughout Britain as a whole, although the attitudes that resulted in the initial advertisement were changed significantly in subsequent decades, not least because the immigrants included the owners of many of "Uganda's most successful businesses." Forty years later, Leicester's mayor Sir Peter Soulsby expressed his regret for the behaviour of the council at
1352-425: A pedestrianised square, 'over-writing' a spend of almost £2m on parking in the square a few years ago. There are a few Grade I listed buildings . A few of these are also scheduled monuments . There are many Grade II listed buildings , including During the 1960s and 1970s, many large concrete tower blocks were built in and around the city centre for residential and office purposes, like many other cities across
1456-706: A plan to re-use the Great Central station site. Since the pedestrianisation of the High Street in Leicester city centre many of the independent retail shops have moved into this regenerated area. Some of Leicester's longest running independent shops can now be found in this area. However, the recent economic downturn and the opening of the Highcross Centre have led to a higher than expected number of closures and an increase in Charity outlets. There are current plans to develop
1560-732: A population of 373,399 in 2022. The greater Leicester urban area had a population of 559,017 in 2021, making it the 11th most populous in England, and the 13th most populous in the United Kingdom . A 2023 report ranked Leicester 16th out of the 50 largest UK cities on a range of economic measures, and the first of seven East Midlands cities. The city lies on the River Soar and is approximately 90 miles (140 km) north-northwest of London, 33 miles (53 km) east-northeast of Birmingham and 21 miles (34 km) northeast of Coventry . Nottingham and Derby lie around 21 miles (34 km) to
1664-469: Is a forum, set up in 2001 by the editor of the Leicester Mercury , to co-ordinate community relations with members representing the council, police, schools, community and faith groups, and the media. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many social and economic challenges across the country and across the world. Leicester has been particularly badly affected in the United Kingdom; from July 2020 during
1768-434: Is a large Roman Catholic church and Priory named Holy Cross on New Walk /Wellington Street. The city centre is covered by an extensive system of CCTV cameras, supplemented by CCTV vans. Now that the main police station on Charles Street has closed, City Centre policing is based in a building off Belgrave Gate called Mansfield House. Highcross Leicester opened on 4 September 2008 and has several flagship stores, including
1872-671: Is at the intersection of two railway lines: the Midland Main Line and the Birmingham to London Stansted Airport line. It is also at the confluence of the M1 / M69 motorways and the A6 / A46 trunk routes. Leicester Cathedral is home to the tomb of King Richard III who was reburied in the cathedral in 2015 after being discovered nearby in the foundations of the lost Greyfriars chapel, more than 500 years after his death. In sporting terms, Leicester
1976-545: Is currently being used as a car park, the site will be turned into a new shopping area with shops, casino, theatre and a new link road which will provide access to the new Highcross Leicester and St. Margaret's bus station. Since the closure of St Margaret's baths , there is no municipal swimming pool in the city centre. Its replacement, the Braunstone Leisure Centre , is some miles away in Braunstone . The area in
2080-470: Is having a real impact on the image and success of the adjacent 'Cultural Quarter'. The postal district LE1 is close to the area covered inside ring-road, but is somewhat larger. The only area inside the ring-road but not part of LE1 is the section of Humberstone Road inside the ring-road. LE1 includes the St Matthew's estate, and extends as far north as the River Soar , thus including Abbey Park . Where
2184-526: Is known as the Welford Road , except for small stretches near Welford where it is known as High Street and Northampton Road , and a section near Wigston Magna where it is known as Bull Head Street. As its course is broadly parallel and near to the M1 motorway , it's very much lacking in modern features such as bypasses , which is why it was classified downwards when the A14 road , which it crosses at Junction 1,
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#17328526738332288-623: Is ongoing, particularly in the area east of Charles Street and around Humberstone Gate, which has been dubbed 'St George's' by the council, and was made a conservation area in 1989. St George's South has been designated Leicester's new cultural quarter, and is already the site of the Leicester Creative Business Depot (built on the old Leicester City Bus depot and keeping the initials) and the Athena. The LCB Depot opened in July 2004, and by
2392-547: Is recorded as Ledecestre . The first element of the name is the name of a people, the Ligore (whose name appears in Ligera ceastre in the genitive plural form); their name came in turn from the river Ligor (now the River Soar ), the origin of whose name is uncertain but thought to be from Brittonic (possibly cognate with the name of the Loire ). The second element of the name
2496-520: Is the West End of Leicester . To the south-east it borders Highfields , to the east, St Matthew's , and to the north-east, Belgrave . Leicester Leicester ( / ˈ l ɛ s t ər / LES -tər ) 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
2600-657: Is the Old English word ceaster ("(Roman) fort, fortification, town", itself borrowed from Latin castrum ). A list of British cities in the ninth-century History of the Britons includes one Cair Lerion ; Leicester has been proposed as the place to which this refers (and the Welsh name for Leicester is Caerlŷr ). But this identification is not certain. Based on the Welsh name (given as Kaerleir ), Geoffrey of Monmouth proposed
2704-518: Is the home to football club Leicester City and rugby club Leicester Tigers . The name of Leicester comes from Old English . It is first recorded in Latinised form in the early ninth century as Legorensis civitatis and in Old English itself in an Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry for 924 as Ligera ceastre (and, in various spellings, frequently thereafter). In the Domesday Book of 1086, it
2808-402: Is the market, and then the civic centre (as mentioned above), which also features the main lending and reference libraries, and a number of shops, both chain and independent. The area around the junction of Humberstone Gate and the ring-road is the site of two strip malls – the larger of which is on the south-east side of the roundabout and called 'St George's Retail Park', the smaller being on
2912-669: The A50 crosses the Soar, the boundary runs south, including Great Central Street in LE1, but not the waterfront. It then broadly follows the path of the ring-road until it reaches Waterloo Way, where the border diverges substantially, to include the swathe of land between London Road, Victoria Park Road and Waterloo Way in the LE1 postcode, including the University of Leicester , the De Montfort Hall , Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College , Regent College ,
3016-642: The Air Training Corps . Leicester was bombed on 19 November 1940. Although only three bombs hit the city, 108 people were killed in Highfields. The years after World War II , particularly from the 1960s onwards, brought many social and economic challenges. Mass housebuilding continued across Leicester for some 30 years after 1945. Existing housing estates such as Braunstone were expanded, while several completely new estates – of both private and council tenure – were built. The last major development of this era
3120-806: The Arts Council , the European Regional Development Fund and the East Midlands Development Agency . Further to the south of St George's are plans to create a new business area, near the railway station, including re-use of the old police station, and renovation of the Leicester Mercury building. St George's North has been proposed for a residential community by the Leicester Regeneration Company. Development has also started on waterfront properties, with
3224-572: The English Civil War . In 1645, King Charles I of England and Prince Rupert decided to attack the (then) town to draw the New Model Army away from the Royalist (colloquially called Cavaliers ) headquarters of Oxford . Royalist guns were set up on Raw Dykes and, after an unsatisfactory response to a demand for surrender, the assault began at 3pm on 30 May 1645 by a Royalist battery opposite
Leicester City Centre - Misplaced Pages Continue
3328-747: The Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower roundabout seeing the five-way junction of the London to Manchester , Birmingham to Yarmouth and Fosse Way roads. This was influenced by the replacement of the A5199 road (now the A5199) by the A6 ), as the main route to London, because the Welford Road terminated in the tiny streets of the old town, and was therefore a hindrance for vehicles, while the London Road went past
3432-774: The Highcross and the Haymarket Shopping Centre as well as the 'Old Town' around Leicester Cathedral , Leicester Market and the Magazine Gateway . Politically, the city centre is split between the Leicester City Council wards of Abbey and Castle. A£19 million regeneration project transformed Leicester's city centre. The work won three awards: The Urbis Urban Regeneration Award in 2007 for Gallowtree Gate, The BCSC Town Centre "Gold" Best in Britain award in June 2009 and
3536-523: The House of Lords in June 1628 who however supported Fleetwood but asked for proceedings made by the Crown against the rioters to be dropped. Compensation made to the legal residents of the forest was reasonably generous by comparison with other forests. The Corporation of Leicester received 40 acres (16 ha) for relief of the poor. Leicester was a Parliamentarian (colloquially called Roundhead ) stronghold during
3640-611: The Jewry Wall ; recovered artifacts are displayed at the adjacent museum . Knowledge of the town following the Roman withdrawal from Britain is limited. It seems to have been continually occupied after Roman protection ceased through the 5th and 6th centuries, although with a significantly reduced population. Its memory was preserved as the Cair Lerion of the History of the Britons . Following
3744-459: The River Soar at this time, although roundhouses from this era have been excavated and seem to have clustered along roughly 8 hectares (20 acres) of the east bank of the Soar above its confluence with the Trent . This area of the Soar was split into two channels: a main stream to the east and a narrower channel on the west, with a presumably marshy island between. The settlement seems to have controlled
3848-683: The Saxon invasion of Britain , Leicester was occupied by the Middle Angles and subsequently administered by the kingdom of Mercia . It was elevated to a bishopric in either 679 or 680; this see survived until the 9th century, when Leicester was captured by Danish Vikings . Their settlement became one of the Five Burghs of the Danelaw , although this position was short-lived. The Saxon bishop, meanwhile, fled to Dorchester-on-Thames and Leicester did not become
3952-405: The Welford Road cemetery , and Victoria Park . However, London Road station remains outside LE1. The boundary then includes several streets west of the railway line but east of the ring-road as part of LE1, before meeting up with the roundabout again and then going inwards to exclude Humberstone Road from LE1 (as above). To the west, the city centre borders the river, on the other side of this
4056-505: The aristocracy and did not become a legal city again until 1919. Geoffrey of Monmouth composed his History of the Kings of Britain around the year 1136, naming a King Leir as an eponymous founder figure. According to Geoffrey's narrative, Cordelia had buried her father beneath the river in a chamber dedicated to Janus and his feast day was an annual celebration. When Simon de Montfort became Earl of Leicester in 1231, he gave
4160-478: The directly elected Mayor of Leicester role came into effect after the inaugural election. This post exists in addition to that of Lord Mayor which goes back to the Middle Ages and is these days a ceremonial role. The first mayor of Leicester was a Norman knight, Peter fitz Roger ("Peter, son of Roger") in 1251. Following the restoration of city status in 1919 this title was elevated to "Lord Mayor." In 1987
4264-463: The dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII . However, in September 2012, an archaeological investigation of the car park revealed a skeleton which DNA testing helped verify to be related to two descendants of Richard III's sister. It was concluded that the skeleton was that of Richard III because of the DNA evidence and the shape of the spine. In 2015 Richard III was reburied in pride of place near
Leicester City Centre - Misplaced Pages Continue
4368-546: The 1960s and 1970s: the Great Central and the Leicester and Swannington both closed and the northward extension of the M1 motorway linked Leicester into England's growing motorway network. With the loss of much of the city's industry during the 1970s and 1980s, some of the old industrial jobs were replaced by new jobs in the service sector, particularly in retail. The opening of the Haymarket Shopping Centre in 1971
4472-660: The 19th century also witnessed the creation of many other institutions, including the town council, the Royal Infirmary , and the Leicester Constabulary. It also benefited from general acceptance (and the Public Health Acts ) that municipal organisations had a responsibility to provide for the town's water supply, drainage, and sanitation. In 1853, backed with a guarantee of dividends by the Corporation of Leicester
4576-487: The 19th century, but grew most notably when it annexed Belgrave , Aylestone , North Evington , Knighton , and Stoneygate in 1892. In 1900, the Great Central Railway provided another link to London, but the rapid population growth of the previous decades had already begun to slow by the time of Queen Victoria's death in 1901. World War I and the subsequent epidemics had further impacts. Nonetheless, Leicester
4680-541: The 58 metres tall Thames Tower never achieving more than 50% occupancy since it was completed. Simultaneously, the residential towers became negatively associated with crime and social deprivation. The four residential blocks in St Matthews and Rowlatts Hill were vacated and demolished by Leicester City Council in 2001. Thames Tower and St Georges Tower were both refurbished and reclad in 2009 by private developers, for use as residential apartments and hotels. St Georges Tower
4784-658: The City centre there is the Phoenix Square Digital Arts Centre , Midland Street, Leicester (which has a regular programme of art-house and world cinema), a Cinema De Lux, part of Highcross Leicester, and an Odeon at Freemen's Common, some way to the south. The old Odeon building in Rutland Street was refurbished and opened in 2005 as the Leicester Athena , a conferencing and banqueting venue. The former ABC Cinema on Belgrave Gate has now been demolished and
4888-481: The Crown of Thorns, given to the Duke by the King of France. The church (described by Leland in the C16th as "not large but exceeding fair") also became, effectively, a Lancastrian mausoleum. Duke Henry's daughter Blanche of Lancaster married John of Gaunt and their son Henry Bolingbroke became King Henry IV when he deposed King Richard II. The Church of the Annunciation was the burial place of Duke Henry, who had earlier had his father re-interred here. Later it became
4992-402: The Danelaw . Leicester became an important town during the Middle Ages , and then an important industrial and commercial centre in the Victorian age , eventually gaining city status in 1919. Since the mid-20th century, immigration from countries of the British Commonwealth has seen Leicester become an ethnically diverse city, and one of the largest urban centres of the Midlands . Leicester
5096-508: The East Gates of the city. Meanwhile, the civic centre moved southwards, with the Corporation of Leicester moving to a new town hall building in 1876 in the Market Street area, facing onto a new Town Hall Square, and just outside the walled town. Between these areas is the modern market, based to the south-west of the Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower area, which features the permanent outdoor covered Leicester Market , alongside an indoor market building selling fish, dairy produce, meat, etc., and
5200-405: The English throne for nine days in June 1553, was born at Bradgate Park near Leicester around 1536. Queen Elizabeth I 's intimate and former suitor, Robert Dudley , was given the Earldom of Leicester . After the Union of the Crowns , Anne of Denmark , Prince Henry , and Princess Elizabeth travelled to Leicester on 24 June 1603, after the courtier and usher Thomas Conway was assured that
5304-418: The Leicester Waterworks Company built a reservoir at Thornton for the supply of water to the town. This guarantee was made possible by the Public Health Act 1847 and an amending local Act of Parliament of 1851. In 1866 another amending Act enabled the Corporation of Leicester to take shares in the company to enable another reservoir at Cropston, completed in 1870. The Corporation of Leicester was later able to buy
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#17328526738335408-422: The Newarke. The town – which only had approximately 2,000 defenders opposed to the Royalist Army of approximately 10,000 combatants – was sacked on 31 May 1645, and hundreds of people were killed by Rupert's cavalry. One witness said, "they fired upon our men out of their windows, from the tops of houses, and threw tiles upon their heads. Finding one house better manned than ordinary, and many shots fired at us out of
5512-438: The Romans fortified and garrisoned the location, but it slowly developed from around the year 50 onwards as the tribal capital of the Corieltauvians under the name Ratae Corieltauvorum . In the 2nd century, it received a forum and bathhouse . In 2013, the discovery of a Roman cemetery found just outside the old city walls and dating back to AD 300 was announced. The remains of the baths of Roman Leicester can be seen at
5616-444: The Transport Times Walking & Public Realm award in July 2009. The historic city of Leicester was founded by the Romans as Ratae Corieltauvorum - after the Corieltauvi, the local tribe of Britons whose tribal lands these were - at the crossing of the River Soar by the Fosse Way , between the current path of the river and the modern Gallowtree Gate. It is thought that the later medieval walls and gates were in approximately
5720-471: The UK. Cardinal Telephone Exchange and St Georges Tower, at 84 metres and 82 metres high respectively, are the two tallest skyscrapers in the whole East Midlands region. Many housing association blocks, averaging 55 metres tall with 20 storeys, were also erected in various Council estates – four in Highfields , two in St Matthews and a further two in Rowlatts Hill . However, in later years, most of Leicester's office towers became disused and abandoned, with
5824-416: The burial place of Constance of Castile, Duchess of Lancaster (second wife of John of Gaunt) and of Mary de Bohun , first wife of Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV) and mother of King Henry V (she did not become queen because she died before Bolingbroke became king). John of Gaunt died at Leicester Castle in 1399. When his son became king, the Earldom of Leicester and the Duchy of Lancaster became royal titles (and
5928-497: The cathedral. A second major extension to the boundaries following the changes in 1892 took place in 1935, with the annexation of the remainder of Evington , Humberstone , Beaumont Leys , and part of Braunstone . A third major revision of the boundaries took place in 1966, with the net addition to the city of just over 450 acres (182 ha). The boundary has remained unchanged since that time. Leicester's diversified economic base and lack of dependence on primary industries meant it
6032-415: The city a grant to expel the Jewish population "in my time or in the time of any of my heirs to the end of the world". He justified his action as being "for the good of my soul, and for the souls of my ancestors and successors". Leicester's Jews were allowed to move to the eastern suburbs, which were controlled by de Montfort's great-aunt and rival, Margaret, Countess of Winchester, after she took advice from
6136-433: The city are somewhat limited since the closure in 1998 then the demolition of the Granby Halls in 2001– the largest two venues, De Montfort Hall (mentioned above) and University of Leicester 's students union (now an O2 academy), are both in Southfields , some way from the city centre, whose main venues include the pub-sized The Musician , Firebug , and The Shed . Several old Anglican churches are based in or around
6240-431: The city centre. St Martin's is now Leicester Cathedral . The other four historic parishes were St Margaret's, St Mary de Castro, All Saints', and St Nicholas'. The first Anglican Church to be built in the city after the medieval period was St George's – contrary to popular belief, this is not empty and disused but is in fact a Serbian Orthodox Church, used by the Serbian Orthodox people as a place of worship, regularly. There
6344-427: The city centre. These are complemented by some 1,500 park and ride spaces at hubs around the city. Leicester is home to a variety of theatres, such as the Y Theatre (at the YMCA), the Curve , the (currently mothballed) Haymarket Theatre , Little Theatre and Sue Townsend Theatre (formerly Phoenix Arts ) and there is a small pub theatre called "The Theatre Upstairs" at The Western pub, 70 Western Road, Leicester. In
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#17328526738336448-430: The clock tower, and which continues to the railway station as Granby Street. To the south of the Shires and west of Gallowtree Gate is an area known as The Lanes consisting mostly of small independent shops. This area's centrepiece is the St Martin's Square development (dating from the 1980s), and also features various smaller arcades, the Odeon Arcade , the Royal Arcade and the Malcolm Arcade . Further south than this
6552-483: The early 1970s. In 1972, Idi Amin announced that the entire Asian community in Uganda had 90 days to leave the country. Shortly thereafter, Leicester City Council launched a campaign aimed at dissuading Ugandan Asians from migrating to the city. The adverts did not have their intended effect, instead making more migrants aware of the possibility of settling in Leicester. Nearly a quarter of initial Ugandan refugees (around 5000 to 6000) settled in Leicester, and by
6656-406: The end of the 1970s around another quarter of the initially dispersed refugees had made their way to Leicester. Officially, the adverts were taken out for fear that immigrants to Leicester would place pressure on city services and at least one person who was a city councillor at the time says he believes they were placed for racist reasons. The initial advertisement was widely condemned, and taken as
6760-480: The first Asian Mayor of Leicester was indirectly elected by the councillors, Councillor Gordhan Parmar. After institution of a directly elected mayor in 2011 the Lord Mayor of Leicester still exists as a ceremonial role under Leicester City Council . A5199 road The A5199 road is the direct road from Northampton to Leicester in England . It was formerly part of the A50 trunk road that ran from Bedfordshire to Lancashire . For most of its length it
6864-399: The first batch of Howitzer shells by a British company which was not making ammunition before the war. After the war, the city received a royal visit; the king and queen received a march-past in Victoria Park of thousands of serving and demobilised soldiers. Following the end of the war, a memorial arch—the Arch of Remembrance —was built in Victoria Park and unveiled in 1925. The arch, one of
6968-401: The growth in the city of trade unionism and particularly the co-operative movement . The Co-op became an important employer and landowner; when Leicester played host to the Jarrow March on its way to London in 1936, the Co-op provided the marchers with a change of boots. In 1938, Leicester was selected as the base for Squadron 1F, the first A.D.C.C (Air Defence Cadet Corp), the predecessor of
7072-481: The high altar in Leicester Cathedral . On 4 November 1530, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was arrested on charges of treason and taken from Yorkshire. On his way south to face dubious justice at the Tower of London , he fell ill. The group escorting him was concerned enough to stop at Leicester to rest at Leicester Abbey. There, Wolsey's condition quickly worsened. He died on 29 November 1530 and was buried at Leicester Abbey , now Abbey Park . Lady Jane Grey , who claimed
7176-460: The imposition of the first local lockdown which saw all non-essential retail closed again and businesses such as public houses, restaurants and hairdressers unable to reopen. Businesses such as these in areas such as Glenfield and that part of Braunstone Town which outside of the formal city council area, have since been allowed to reopen following a more tightly defined lockdown area from 18 July 2020. The Office for National Statistics has defined
7280-412: The inside of the ring-road is nearly entirely built up, with only Nelson Mandela Park (at the extreme south, in Southfields ), Museum Square (off New Walk ) and Town Hall Square being considerable open spaces. Outside the ring road are Castle Gardens (by Leicester Castle ), De Montfort Square (off New Walk ), Victoria Park , Aylestone Meadows , Western Park and Abbey Park . Musical venues in
7384-428: The largest First World War memorials in the UK, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens , who also designed the Cenotaph in London and is a grade I listed building . A set of gates and lodges, again by Lutyens, were added in the 1930s, leading to the memorial from the University Road and London Road entrances to Victoria Park. In 1927, Leicester again became a cathedral city on the consecration of St Martin's Church as
7488-571: The latter remains so). At the end of the War of the Roses , King Richard III was buried in Leicester's Greyfriars Church a Franciscan Friary and Church which was demolished after its dissolution in 1538. The site of that church is now covered by King Richard III Visitor Centre (until 2012 by more modern buildings and a car park). There was a legend his corpse had been cast into the river , while some historians argued his tomb and remains were destroyed during
7592-624: The north and northwest respectively, whilst Peterborough is located 37 miles (60 km) to the east. Leicester is close to the eastern end of the National Forest . Leicester has a long history extending into ancient times, it was the site of the Roman town of Ratae Corieltauvorum , which was later captured by the Anglo-Saxons , and then by the Vikings who made it one of the Five Boroughs of
7696-580: The north and south gates along the line of the current Highcross Street, while the current High Street was called Swinesmarket). Leicester Cathedral and the Guildhall occupy this old area of town. Leicester Castle lay on the south-western corner of the walls, and the Newarke was a separate walled area nearby. The Newarke Gateway (now known as the Magazine) is the only medieval gateway remaining. A small section of
7800-527: The old Cornmarket building. Much of this old area of town is now in various conservation areas . Outside of the ringroad, but close by, are the main campus of De Montfort University , Leicester Royal Infirmary , the Leicester City Football Club 's King Power Stadium , the Leicester Tigers ' Welford Road stadium and the prison . Leicester railway station is just on the outer side of
7904-952: The proportion employed in trade, commerce, building, and the city's new factories and workshops rose steadily. Hosiery , textiles, and footwear became the major industrial employers: manufacturers such as N. Corah & Sons and the Cooperative Boot and Shoe Company were opening some of the largest manufacturing premises in Europe. They were joined, in the latter part of the century, by engineering firms such as Kent Street's Taylor and Hubbard (crane makers and founders ), Vulcan Road's William Gimson & Company (steam boilers and founders), and Martin Street's Richards & Company (steel works and founders). The politics of Victorian Leicester were lively and very often bitter. Years of consistent economic growth meant living standards generally increased, but Leicester
8008-453: The ringroad has two large shopping malls – Highcross Leicester (first opened as The Shires on the northern side of High Street and opening in 1991 with a large extension opened on 4 September 2008), and the Haymarket Shopping Centre (opened in 1974, on the site of the old hay market), both facing onto the Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower area. Major chain stores can also be found on the pedestrianised Gallowtree Gate, running south-east from
8112-458: The ringroad, on the A6. The University of Leicester is further away to the south-east, linked by the pedestrian-only path New Walk . When this was laid out in 1785, on the route of an ancient footpath, it passed through open land, becoming the route to the then Leicester Racecourse which later became Victoria Park but it soon saw development of large private houses on both sides of it. The area inside
8216-453: The same positions as the Roman ones, with the forum being where the modern inner ring road meets St Nicholas Circle. The Roman baths are nearby and are preserved at Jewry Wall . The east gate was at the eastern end of High Street (preserved in the street name Eastgates), the north gate was at the northern end of Highcross Street, the west gate was on the town side of West Bridge, and the south gate
8320-435: The scholar and cleric Robert Grosseteste , at that time Archdeacon of Leicester . There is evidence that Jews remained there until 1253, and perhaps enforcement of the banishment within the city was not rigorously enforced. De Montfort however issued a second edict for the expulsion of Leicester's Jews in 1253, after Grosseteste's death. De Montfort's many acts of anti-Jewish persecution in Leicester and elsewhere were part of
8424-535: The south-west side. The main bus companies serving the city centre are Arriva Midlands , Centrebus , First Leicester , Stagecoach Midlands and Roberts Coaches. There are two main bus stations; St Margaret's Bus Station, is on Gravel Street to the north of the centre and the Haymarket Bus Station is on Charles Street. A number of bus services terminate at on-street stops within the city. Regional and national coaches depart from St Margaret's Bus Station which
8528-513: The time of its first birthday had let 37 of 55 units, with talk starting of finding an additional site. Opposite the Athena , a new flagship £60 million Curve Theatre, Leicester , designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, started construction in 2005, on a site that has been long-disused. The theatre opened on 11 November 2008. The centre is being funded by the various sources including the City Council,
8632-509: The time. In the 1990s, a group of Dutch citizens of Somali origin settled in the city. Since the 2004 enlargement of the European Union a significant number of East European migrants have settled in the city. While some wards in the northeast of the city are more than 70% South Asian, wards in the west and south are all over 70% white. The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) had estimated that by 2011 Leicester would have approximately
8736-579: The town to the national network by 1840. A direct link to London St Pancras was established by the Midland Railway in the 1860s. These developments encouraged and accompanied a process of industrialisation which intensified throughout the reign of Queen Victoria . Factories began to appear, particularly along the canal and river, and districts such as Frog Island and Woodgate were the locations of numerous large mills. Between 1861 and 1901, Leicester's population increased from 68,100 to 211,600 and
8840-424: The town wall can be seen in the churchyard of St Mary de Castro . The town's main gates were sold and demolished in the late 18th century, being an impediment to the flow of traffic (the city's hay market was outside the walls for this reason, the main market being situated within the south-east corner of the walls). With increasing development, particularly in the 19th century, the focal point moved eastwards, with
8944-520: The town was free from infection or plague. Prince Charles, later King Charles I , travelled to London with his guardian Alexander Seton . The royal party stayed at Leicester for three days in August 1604 at the townhouse of William Skipwith . The Corporation of Leicester opposed the efforts of Charles I to disafforest the nearby Leicester Forest , believing them to be likely to throw many of its residents into poverty and need of relief. Sir Miles Fleetwood
9048-461: The waterworks and build another reservoir at Swithland, completed in the 1890s. Leicester became a county borough in 1889, although it was abolished in 1974 as part of the Local Government Act , and was reformed as a non-metropolitan district and city. The city regained its unitary status, being administered separately from Leicestershire, in 1997. The borough had been expanding throughout
9152-599: The windows, I caused my men to attack it, and resolved to make them an example for the rest; which they did. Breaking open the doors, they killed all they found there without distinction". It was reported that 120 houses had been destroyed and that 140 wagons of plunder were sent to the Royalist stronghold of Newark . Following the Parliamentarian victory over the Royalist Army at the Battle of Naseby on 14 June 1645, Leicester
9256-515: The world. Many Polish servicemen were prevented from returning to their homeland after the war by the communist regime, and they established a small community in Leicester. Economic migrants from the Irish Republic continued to arrive throughout the post war period. Immigrants from the Indian sub-continent began to arrive in the 1960s, their numbers boosted by Asians arriving from Kenya and Uganda in
9360-423: The year should attain a temperature of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above. The lowest temperature recorded at Newtown Linford was −16.1 °C (3.0 °F) during January 1963. Typically, 54.9 air frosts will be recorded during the course of the year. Rainfall averages 684.4 mm per year, with 1 mm or more falling on 120.8 days. All averages refer to the period 1971–2000. On 5 May 2011,
9464-411: The year, and low sunshine levels. The nearest official Weather Station was Newtown Linford, about 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Leicester city centre and just outside the edge of the urban area. However, observations stopped there in 2003. The current nearest weather station is Market Bosworth, about 10 miles (16 km) west of the city centre. The highest temperature recorded at Newtown Linford
9568-402: Was 34.5 °C (94.1 °F) during August 1990, although a temperature of 35.1 °C (95.2 °F) was achieved at Leicester University during August 2003. However, the highest temperature since records began in Leicester is 36.7 °C (98.1 °F) on 15 July 1868. More typically the highest temperature would reach 28.7 °C (83.7 °F) – the average annual maximum. 11.3 days of
9672-491: Was Beaumont Leys in the north of the city, which was developed in the 1970s as a mix of private and council housing. There was a steady decline in Leicester's traditional manufacturing industries and, in the city centre, working factories and light industrial premises have now been almost entirely replaced. Many former factories, including some on Frog Island and at Donisthorpe Mill , have been badly damaged by fire. Rail and barge were finally eclipsed by automotive transport in
9776-512: Was a stronghold of Radicalism . Thomas Cooper , the Chartist , kept a shop in Church Gate. There were serious Chartist riots in the town in 1842 and again six years later. The Leicester Secular Society was founded in 1851 but secularist speakers such as George Holyoake were often denied the use of speaking halls. It was not until 1881 that Leicester Secular Hall was opened. The second half of
9880-815: Was built as a link between the M1/M6 junction and the East Coast ports. The road commences in the Freemen's district of inner city Leicester at the junction with the A594 Leicester Central Ring . City of Leicester Leicestershire Northamptonshire It terminates at a junction with the A508 in the Northampton suburb of Kingsthorpe . [REDACTED] Media related to A5199 road (England) at Wikimedia Commons This England road or road transport-related article
9984-515: Was finally recognised as a legal city once more in 1919 in recognition of its contribution to the British war effort. Recruitment to the armed forces was lower in Leicester than in other English cities, partly because of the low level of unemployment and the need for many of its industries, such as clothing and footwear manufacturing, to supply the army. As the war progressed, many of Leicester's factories were given over to arms production; Leicester produced
10088-595: Was followed by a number of new shopping centres in the city, including St Martin's Shopping Centre in 1984 and the Shire Shopping Centre in 1992. The Shires was subsequently expanded in September 2008 and rebranded as Highcross. By the 1990s, as well, Leicester's central position and good transport links had established it as a distribution centre; the southwestern area of the city has also attracted new service and manufacturing businesses. Since World War II Leicester has experienced large scale immigration from across
10192-483: Was in the modern Friar Lane area – the city walls ran along the current Millstone Lane, Horsefair Street, Gallowtree Gate, Church Gate, Sanvey Gate and Soar Lane, with the western wall possibly running along the river Soar (there is some doubt as to whether the western wall existed). The city centre was the High Cross, at the junction of the current High Street and Highcross Street (in mediaeval times, High Street ran between
10296-515: Was made first Duke of Lancaster, enlarged and enhanced his father's foundation, and built the collegiate Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady of The Newarke. This church (a little of which survives in the basement of the Hawthorn Building of De Montfort University) was destroyed during the reign of King Edward VI. It became an important pilgrimage site because it housed a thorn said to be from
10400-520: Was much better placed than many other cities to weather the tariff wars of the 1920s and Great Depression of the 1930s. The Bureau of Statistics of the newly formed League of Nations identified Leicester in 1936 as the second-richest city in Europe and it became an attractive destination for refugees fleeing persecution and political turmoil in continental Europe . Firms such as Corah and Liberty Shoes used their reputation for producing high-quality products to expand their businesses. These years witnessed
10504-562: Was opened on 3 May 1985 and had a major refurbishment completed in March 2007.. Haymarket bus station which lies next to and serves as a transport hub for Haymarket Shopping Centre was developed at a proposed cost of £2m in mid-1994, coinciding with a major refurbishment of the adjacent Haymarket Shopping Centre complex. It underwent a major upgrade and expansion starting September 2014. The upgraded station opened in May 2016. In late 2019, work started on
10608-596: Was painted royal blue, turning it into a very distinctive local landmark, albeit one that attracted mass controversy due to its perceived ugliness and difference from the original architect's renders for the building's renovation. The 55-metre-tall New Walk Centre has been occupied by the City Council since the 1970s, while the Cardinal Telephone Exchange is occupied by British Telecom . The International Hotel has been an un-maintained eyesore for many years, and requires demolition or serious maintenance work as it
10712-510: Was recovered by Parliament on 18 June 1645. The construction of the Grand Union Canal in the 1790s linked Leicester to London and Birmingham . The first railway station in Leicester opened in 1832, in the form of the Leicester and Swannington Railway which provided a supply of coal to the town from nearby collieries. The Midland Counties Railway (running from Derby to Rugby ) linked
10816-522: Was sent to commission the disafforestation and division of lands being used in common. Riots destroyed enclosures in spring 1627 and 1628, following a pattern of anti-enclosure disturbances found elsewhere including the Western Rising. Petitions challenging the enclosures were presented by the Corporation of Leicester and borough residents to the King and Privy Council . They were unsuccessful so petitioned
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