Leicester City Centre
Encyclopedia
Leicester City Centre is an area covering the core inner city area and central business district
of the city of Leicester
, England
. It is roughly delineated from Leicester's suburbs by the A594
, Leicester's inner ring road
.
The city centre incorporates most of Leicester's shopping, with the Highcross and the Haymarket Shopping Centre as well as the historic core of Leicester such as Leicester Cathedral
and Leicester Market
. 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 the Transport Times Walking & Public Realm award in July 2009.
was founded by the Romans
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 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
. http://semper.freelinuxhost.com/historical_maps.htm 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 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 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 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).
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 Welford Road
(now the A5199) by the Market Harborough
road (the Harborough Turnpike, now 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 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 of the walled town. Between these areas is the modern market, based to the south-west of the Clock Tower area, which features the permanent outdoor covered Leicester Market
(the largest in Europe
), alongside an indoor market building selling fish, dairy produce, meat, etc., and the old [Cornmarket building. Much of this old area of town is now in various conservation area
s.
Outside of the ringroad, but close by, are the main campus of De Montfort University
, Leicester Royal Infirmary
, the Leicester Tigers
' Welford Road
stadium and the prison
. Leicester railway station
is just on the outer side of 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, but soon saw development of large private houses on both sides of it. It is now largely offices, although the New Walk Museum
makes a strong impact.
The area inside 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 Clock Tower area. On the opposite side of Humberstone Gate to the Haymarket is a new building, with no communal space, occupied by a variety of retailers, that incorporates the famous Lewis's
tower from the previous department store
on the site.
Major chain stores can also be found on the pedestrianised Gallowtree Gate, running south-east from 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. Of particular interest is the now mainly disused Silver Arcade
, dating from 1899. Further south than this 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.
Gallowtree Gate and Humberstone Gate west of Charles Street are fully pedestrianised. Private cars (but not buses and taxis) are forbidden at certain times from a larger area. Plans exist to fully pedestrianise High Street also, which will involve routing buses via Mansfield Street. http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council--services/regeneration--culture/environmentdevelopment/consultations/streets-spaces/pedestrianzone-
The area around the junction of Humberstone Gate and the ring-road is the site of two strip mall
s - the larger of which is on the south-east side of the roundabout and called 'St George's Retail Park', the smaller being on the south-west side.
is located on Charles Street, a number of buses also terminate on Humberstone Gate, Haymarket and Causeway Lane. The main transport companies serving the city centre are Arriva Leicester, Centrebus
Coachmaster
, First in Leicester and Roberts
. Regional and national coaches depart from the nearby St Margaret's Bus Station.
Leicester London Road
, mentioned above, is now the only train station in the city centre, after the closure of Leicester Belgrave Road
and Leicester Central
in the 1960s. Leicester used to have a tram
network — this ceased operation in 1949 and was replaced witb bus routes.
7,500 off-street car parking spaces are available around the city centre. http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council--services/regeneration--culture/transport--traffic/transport-development/parking-homepage/city-centre-parking
, Little Theatre
and Phoenix Arts
, there is currently no major mainstream cinema left in the city centre (although there is a small cinema showing mainstream films on Abbey Street, and Phoenix Arts
has a regular programme of art-house and world cinema), however a cinema de lux is being constructed as part of Highcross Leicester. The nearest currently being the Odeon
at Freemen's Common, some way to the south. The old Odeon 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 is currently being used as a car park, the site will be turned in to 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 the inside of the ring-road is nearly entirely built up, with only Nelson Mandela Park
(at the extreme south, in Southfields
), and Town Hall Square being considerable open spaces. Outside the ring road are Castle Gardens, by Leicester Castle
, and Victoria
and Abbey Park.
Musical venues in the city are somewhat limited - the largest two venues, De Montfort Hall
(mentioned above) and University of Leicester
's union, 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 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.
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.
, 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 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 the time of its first birthday had let 37 of 55 units, with talk starting of finding an additional site. http://www.lsep.co.uk/depotcelebratesasuccessfulyear.html
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. It is planned to be ready for handover 2007 to the Haymarket company, who will then vacate their existing building (Haymarket Theatre
). The first productions would be in 2008. http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/articles/2005/06/22/performing_arts_centre_intro_feature.shtml The centre is being funded by the various sources including the City Council, the Arts Council
, the European Regional Development Fund
and the East Midlands Development Agency
. http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/articles/2004/07/23/tanda_pacc_money_feature.shtml
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. http://www.leicesterregeneration.co.uk/project_business.html
St George's North has been proposed for a residential community by the Leicester Regeneration Company. http://www.leicesterregeneration.co.uk/project_residential.html Development has also started on waterfront properties, with a plan to re-use the Great Central station
site. http://www.leicesterregeneration.co.uk/project_waterfront.html
There are a few Grade I listed buildings.
A few of these are also Scheduled Ancient Monuments. There are many Grade II listed buildings, including
All Saints is Grade B.
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 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 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.
LE1 includes the St Matthew's estate, and extends as far north as the River Soar
, thus including Abbey Park. Where 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
, 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 south-east it borders Highfields, to the east, St Matthew's, and to the north-east, Belgrave
.
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of the city of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is roughly delineated from Leicester's suburbs by the A594
A594 road (Leicester)
The Leicester version of the A594 is that city's inner ring road, surrounding the core area of Leicester City Centre. Leicester has two other ring-roads, the A6030, and the A563....
, Leicester's inner ring road
Ring road
A ring road, orbital motorway, beltway, circumferential highway, or loop highway is a road that encircles a town or city...
.
The city centre incorporates most of Leicester's shopping, with the Highcross and the Haymarket Shopping Centre as well as the historic core of Leicester such as Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Martin, Leicester is a Church of England cathedral in the English city of Leicester, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester...
and Leicester Market
Leicester Market
Leicester Market is a market in The City of Leicester, England, on Market Place just south of the clock tower.It is open Monday to Saturday and has over 270 stalls. It is around 800 years old but was moved to the current site around 700 years ago...
. Politically, the city centre is split between the Leicester City Council
Leicester City Council
Leicester City Council is a unitary authority responsible for local government in the city of Leicester, England. It consists of 54 councillors, representing 22 wards in the city, overseen by a directly elected mayor. It is currently controlled by the Labour Party and has been led by Mayor Sir...
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 the Transport Times Walking & Public Realm award in July 2009.
The old city
The historic city of LeicesterRatae Corieltauvorum
Ratae Corieltauvorum was a town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Leicester, located in the English county of Leicestershire.-Name:...
was founded by the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
at the crossing of the River Soar
River Soar
The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...
by the Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
, 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 the same positions as the Roman ones, with the forum
Forum (Roman)
A forum was a public square in a Roman municipium, or any civitas, reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, along with the buildings used for shops and the stoas used for open stalls...
being where the modern inner ring road meets St Nicholas Circle. The Roman baths are nearby and are preserved at Jewry Wall
Jewry Wall
The Jewry Wall in Leicester, England is the substantial ruined wall of a public building of Roman Leicester .-Description of the wall:...
. http://semper.freelinuxhost.com/historical_maps.htm 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 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 the north and south gates along the line of the current Highcross Street, while the current High Street was called Swinesmarket). Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Martin, Leicester is a Church of England cathedral in the English city of Leicester, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester...
and the Guildhall
Leicester Guildhall
The Guildhall in Leicester is a Grade I listed timber framed building, with the earliest part dating from c1390. The Guildhall once acted as the town hall for the city until the current one was commissioned in 1876....
occupy this old area of town.
Leicester Castle
Leicester Castle
Leicester Castle is located in the city of the same name in the English county of Leicestershire. The complex is situated in the west of the city centre, between Saint Nicholas Circle to the north and De Montfort University to the south....
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 the town wall can be seen in the churchyard of St Mary de Castro
St Mary de Castro (Leicester)
St Mary de Castro is an ancient church in Leicester, England, near to Leicester Castle. Today it acts as a parish church in the Church of England's diocese of Leicester.-Architectural history:...
. 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).
Modern developments
With increasing development, particularly in the 19th century, the focal point moved eastwards, with the Clock TowerClock Tower (Leicester)
The Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower is a major landmark and popular meeting point in Leicester, United Kingdom. It is located roughly in the middle of the area inside the ring-road, and is at the point where five major streets meet, and also close by to the junction with Cheapside.The 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 Welford Road
A5199 road
The A5199 road is the direct road from Leicester to Northampton in England. It was formerly part of the A50 trunk road that ran from Bedfordshire to Lancashire...
(now the A5199) by the Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
road (the Harborough Turnpike, now 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 the East Gates of the city.
Meanwhile the civic centre moved southwards, with the Corporation of Leicester moving to a new town hall
Leicester Town Hall
Leicester Town Hall in the City centre of Leicester, England.Built between 1874 and 1876 in the Queen Anne Style by Francis Hames, it was built on the former cattle market. Before it was built the Guildhall acted as the town hall....
building in 1876 in the Market Street area, facing onto a new Town Hall Square, and just outside of the walled town. Between these areas is the modern market, based to the south-west of the Clock Tower area, which features the permanent outdoor covered Leicester Market
Leicester Market
Leicester Market is a market in The City of Leicester, England, on Market Place just south of the clock tower.It is open Monday to Saturday and has over 270 stalls. It is around 800 years old but was moved to the current site around 700 years ago...
(the largest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
), alongside an indoor market building selling fish, dairy produce, meat, etc., and the old [Cornmarket building. Much of this old area of town is now in various conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
s.
Outside of the ringroad, but close by, are the main campus of De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
, Leicester Royal Infirmary
Leicester Royal Infirmary
The Leicester Royal Infirmary is a large National Health Service hospital in Leicester, England. It is located to the south-west of the city centre. It has Leicester's accident and emergency department, and is part of the University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust.The hospital was originally...
, the Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
' Welford Road
Welford Road Stadium
Welford Road is a rugby union stadium in Leicester, England and is the home ground for Leicester Tigers. It is located between Aylestone Road and Welford Road on the edge of the city centre...
stadium and the prison
Leicester (HM Prison)
HM Prison Leicester is a local men's prison, located in the Southfields area of Leicester, Leicestershire, England. The term 'local' means that the prison holds people on remand to the local courts, as well as sentenced prisoners...
. Leicester railway station
Leicester railway station
Leicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.As of late 2009 Leicester is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.-Background:...
is just on the outer side of the ringroad, on the A6. The University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
is further away to the south-east, linked by the pedestrian-only path New Walk
New Walk
New Walk is a high quality poetry and arts print magazine published in Leicester, England, but with a national and international focus. It is edited by Rory Waterman and Nick Everett, with the fiction edited by Libby Peake...
. When this was laid out in 1785, on the route of an ancient footpath, it passed through open land, but soon saw development of large private houses on both sides of it. It is now largely offices, although the New Walk Museum
New Walk Museum
The New Walk Museum and Art Gallery is a museum on New Walk in Leicester, England, not far from the city centre. Two dinosaur skeletons are permanently installed in the museum — a cetiosaur found in Rutland , and a plesiosaur from Barrow upon Soar.Other permanent exhibits include an Egyptian area,...
makes a strong impact.
The area inside the ringroad has two large shopping malls - Highcross Leicester (first opened as The Shires
The Shires
Highcross Leicester is a shopping centre in Leicester, England. It was opened as The Shires in 1991 to supplement the ageing and run-down Haymarket Shopping Centre, also since re-developed. It was built on a central location within the city centre on Eastgates and High Street...
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 Clock Tower area. On the opposite side of Humberstone Gate to the Haymarket is a new building, with no communal space, occupied by a variety of retailers, that incorporates the famous Lewis's
Lewis's
Lewis's was a large department store in Liverpool city centre. It was formerly the flagship of a chain of department stores under the Lewis's name, that operated from 1856 to 1991, when the company went into administration. Several stores in the chain were bought by the company Owen Owen and...
tower from the previous department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
on the site.
Major chain stores can also be found on the pedestrianised Gallowtree Gate, running south-east from 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
St Martin's Square
St Martin's Square is a shopping centre in Leicester city centre. Constructed in 1984 by the Bass Pension Scheme, the thirty-two retail units include a mix of individual boutiques, national retailers, bars and restaurants. St Martins Square is part of the Leicester Lanes shopping district.-External...
development (dating from the 1980s), and also features various smaller arcades, the Odeon Arcade, the Royal Arcade and the Malcolm Arcade. Of particular interest is the now mainly disused Silver Arcade
Silver Arcade
Silver Arcade is a Grade II listed building in the centre of Leicester, England. A former shopping arcade, Silver Arcade was built by Amos Hall in 1889. The top floor was closed off in 2000, leaving the units on the ground floor occupied by a number of independent retailers...
, dating from 1899. Further south than this 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.
Gallowtree Gate and Humberstone Gate west of Charles Street are fully pedestrianised. Private cars (but not buses and taxis) are forbidden at certain times from a larger area. Plans exist to fully pedestrianise High Street also, which will involve routing buses via Mansfield Street. http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council--services/regeneration--culture/environmentdevelopment/consultations/streets-spaces/pedestrianzone-
The area around the junction of Humberstone Gate and the ring-road is the site of two strip mall
Strip mall
A strip mall is an open-area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front...
s - the larger of which is on the south-east side of the roundabout and called 'St George's Retail Park', the smaller being on the south-west side.
Transport
There are two main bus stations in the city centre the biggest being St Margaret's Bus Station is located on Gravel Street and the smaller Haymarket Bus StationHaymarket Bus Station, Leicester
Haymarket bus station is a bus station serving the city of Leicester. Built in 1994, it lies next to and serves as a transport hub for Haymarket Shopping Centre.-History:...
is located on Charles Street, a number of buses also terminate on Humberstone Gate, Haymarket and Causeway Lane. The main transport companies serving the city centre are Arriva Leicester, Centrebus
Centrebus
Centrebus is a privately owned company that operate a number of services around Leicester and Leicestershire, Grantham, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, mainly in areas where Arriva has scaled down its bus operations. Centrebus also competes with Arriva on some routes in Leicester, Luton and Stevenage...
Coachmaster
Thurmaston Bus
Thurmaston Bus was an independent operator who operated a mixture of commercial and tendered bus services in Leicester. On Wednesday 10 August 2011 Thurmaston Bus were issued a winding up order...
, First in Leicester and Roberts
Roberts Coaches
Roberts Coaches are an English public transport company, based in Hugglescote, Leicestershire.-Services:Roberts provide public bus services in Leicester and Leicestershire.-List of routes:...
. Regional and national coaches depart from the nearby St Margaret's Bus Station.
Leicester London Road
Leicester railway station
Leicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.As of late 2009 Leicester is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.-Background:...
, mentioned above, is now the only train station in the city centre, after the closure of Leicester Belgrave Road
Leicester Belgrave Road railway station
-Overview:Leicester Belgrave Road was the Great Northern Railway terminus in Leicester, England. It was the terminus of the GNR's branch line from the Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway at Marefield Junction. It opened on 2 October 1882...
and Leicester Central
Leicester Central railway station
Leicester Central was a railway station in Leicester. It was situated to the west of the city centre, on Great Central Street which is today just off the inner ring road. It was closed in 1969.- Construction :...
in the 1960s. Leicester used to have a tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
network — this ceased operation in 1949 and was replaced witb bus routes.
7,500 off-street car parking spaces are available around the city centre. http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council--services/regeneration--culture/transport--traffic/transport-development/parking-homepage/city-centre-parking
Facilities
Although home to a variety of theatres, such as the Haymarket TheatreHaymarket Theatre (Leicester)
The Haymarket Theatre was a theatre in Leicester, England, based in the Haymarket Shopping Centre on Belgrave Gate in Leicester city centre. The theatre closed at the end of 2006 and has been replaced by the Curve Theatre...
, Little Theatre
Little Theatre (Leicester)
The Little Theatre is a small theatre in Leicester, England with a main auditorium of 349 seats, along with an additional studio space for performances and workshops. The Theatre also houses an interval bar, rehearsal spaces and library for members, and operates a costume hire facility...
and Phoenix Arts
Phoenix Arts Centre
Upper Brown Street is a theatre in the city centre of Leicester, England. The centre hosted live shows and films of the arthouse and world cinema genres. In 2010 it was reborn as an important music training and performance venue under a new name.- History :In the 1963 Leicester City Council ...
, there is currently no major mainstream cinema left in the city centre (although there is a small cinema showing mainstream films on Abbey Street, and Phoenix Arts
Phoenix Arts Centre
Upper Brown Street is a theatre in the city centre of Leicester, England. The centre hosted live shows and films of the arthouse and world cinema genres. In 2010 it was reborn as an important music training and performance venue under a new name.- History :In the 1963 Leicester City Council ...
has a regular programme of art-house and world cinema), however a cinema de lux is being constructed as part of Highcross Leicester. The nearest currently being the Odeon
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
at Freemen's Common, some way to the south. The old Odeon was refurbished and opened in 2005 as the Leicester Athena
Leicester Athena
Athena is a conferencing and banqueting venue in the heart of the new cultural quarter of Leicester City Centre, in the United Kingdom.-History:...
, a conferencing and banqueting venue. The former ABC Cinema on Belgrave Gate has now been demolished and is currently being used as a car park, the site will be turned in to 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
Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields
Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields is an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England. It comprises the western Leicester suburbs of Braunstone Frith, Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields.-Geography:...
.
The area in the inside of the ring-road is nearly entirely built up, with only Nelson Mandela Park
Nelson Mandela Park
The Nelson Mandela Park is a public park in Leicester, England. It is situated just inside the city centre near Leicester Prison and the Leicester Tigers' Stadium. The park was named to celebrate Nelson Mandela....
(at the extreme south, in Southfields
Southfields, Leicestershire
The Southfields of Leicester, England consisted of common land south of the city, and now refers to the mostly-developed area immediately south of the city centre....
), and Town Hall Square being considerable open spaces. Outside the ring road are Castle Gardens, by Leicester Castle
Leicester Castle
Leicester Castle is located in the city of the same name in the English county of Leicestershire. The complex is situated in the west of the city centre, between Saint Nicholas Circle to the north and De Montfort University to the south....
, and Victoria
Victoria Park, Leicester
Victoria Park in Leicester, England is a public park of 69 acres . It is in the south-east, just outside the city centre, backing on to the University of Leicester and close to the Leicester railway station....
and Abbey Park.
Musical venues in the city are somewhat limited - the largest two venues, De Montfort Hall
De Montfort Hall
De Montfort Hall is a music and performance venue in Leicester, England. It is situated adjacent to Victoria Park and is named after Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester.-History:...
(mentioned above) and University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
's union, are both in Southfields
Southfields, Leicestershire
The Southfields of Leicester, England consisted of common land south of the city, and now refers to the mostly-developed area immediately south of the city centre....
, some way from the city centre, whose main venues include the pub-sized The Musician, Firebug, and The Shed.
Several old Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
churches are based in or around the city centre. St Martin's is now Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Martin, Leicester is a Church of England cathedral in the English city of Leicester, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester...
. 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.
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.
Regeneration
Highcross Leicester opened on 4 September 2008 and has several flagship stores, including a John LewisJohn Lewis Partnership
The John Lewis Partnership is an employee-owned UK partnership which operates John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets and a number of other services...
, 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 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
First Leicester
First in Leicester is the trading name of Leicester Citybus Ltd., a bus company owned by the First Group. It runs buses in the city of Leicester, England...
depot and keeping the initials) and the Athena. The LCB Depot opened in July 2004, and by the time of its first birthday had let 37 of 55 units, with talk starting of finding an additional site. http://www.lsep.co.uk/depotcelebratesasuccessfulyear.html
Opposite the Athena
Leicester Athena
Athena is a conferencing and banqueting venue in the heart of the new cultural quarter of Leicester City Centre, in the United Kingdom.-History:...
, a new flagship £60 million Curve Theatre, Leicester
Curve Theatre, Leicester
Curve is a theatre in Leicester, England, based in the Cultural quarter in Leicester City Centre. Before being named Curve, it was referred to as Leicester Performing Arts Centre...
, designed by Rafael Vinoly
Rafael Viñoly
Rafael Viñoly is an Uruguayan architect living in the United States.-Biography:He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay to Román Viñoly Barreto, and Maria Beceiro ....
Architects, started construction in 2005, on a site that has been long-disused. It is planned to be ready for handover 2007 to the Haymarket company, who will then vacate their existing building (Haymarket Theatre
Haymarket Theatre (Leicester)
The Haymarket Theatre was a theatre in Leicester, England, based in the Haymarket Shopping Centre on Belgrave Gate in Leicester city centre. The theatre closed at the end of 2006 and has been replaced by the Curve Theatre...
). The first productions would be in 2008. http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/articles/2005/06/22/performing_arts_centre_intro_feature.shtml The centre is being funded by the various sources including the City Council, the Arts Council
Arts council
An arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad...
, the European Regional Development Fund
European Regional Development Fund
The European Regional Development Fund is a fund allocated by the European Union.-History:During the 1960s, the European Commission occasionally tried to establish a regional fund. Only Italy ever supported this, however, and nothing came of it. Britain made it an issue for their accession in...
and the East Midlands Development Agency
East Midlands Development Agency
East Midlands Development Agency is the regional development agency for the East Midlands region of England formed in 1999.-Structure and function:...
. http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/articles/2004/07/23/tanda_pacc_money_feature.shtml
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
Leicester Mercury
The Leicester Mercury is a British regional newspaper, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust, for the city of Leicester and the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland...
building. http://www.leicesterregeneration.co.uk/project_business.html
St George's North has been proposed for a residential community by the Leicester Regeneration Company. http://www.leicesterregeneration.co.uk/project_residential.html Development has also started on waterfront properties, with a plan to re-use the Great Central station
Leicester Central railway station
Leicester Central was a railway station in Leicester. It was situated to the west of the city centre, on Great Central Street which is today just off the inner ring road. It was closed in 1969.- Construction :...
site. http://www.leicesterregeneration.co.uk/project_waterfront.html
Listed buildings
- Abbey ParkAbbey Park, LeicestershireAbbey Park is a public park in Leicester, England, owned and managed by Leicester City Council through which the River Soar flows.The park contains the remains of the 12th century Leicester Abbey and the ruins of Cavendish House...
ruins and wall, remains of Cavendish House - Jewry WallJewry WallThe Jewry Wall in Leicester, England is the substantial ruined wall of a public building of Roman Leicester .-Description of the wall:...
- CastleLeicester CastleLeicester Castle is located in the city of the same name in the English county of Leicestershire. The complex is situated in the west of the city centre, between Saint Nicholas Circle to the north and De Montfort University to the south....
, Turret Gateway, Castle Hall, and St Mary de CastroSt Mary de Castro (Leicester)St Mary de Castro is an ancient church in Leicester, England, near to Leicester Castle. Today it acts as a parish church in the Church of England's diocese of Leicester.-Architectural history:... - The GuildhallLeicester GuildhallThe Guildhall in Leicester is a Grade I listed timber framed building, with the earliest part dating from c1390. The Guildhall once acted as the town hall for the city until the current one was commissioned in 1876....
- The City RoomsThe City Rooms (Leicester)The City Rooms is located in the heart of the City of Leicester in England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building....
on Hotel Street - The Newarke Magazine GatewayMagazine GatewayThe Magazine Gateway is a Grade I listed building in Leicester, built circa 1410 as a gate into the Newark and Leicester Castle.It acquired its present name during the English Civil War when it was used for the storage of munitions....
- St. Margaret's Church
- St. Nicholas's Church
- The Victoria ParkVictoria Park, LeicesterVictoria Park in Leicester, England is a public park of 69 acres . It is in the south-east, just outside the city centre, backing on to the University of Leicester and close to the Leicester railway station....
war memorial
A few of these are also Scheduled Ancient Monuments. There are many Grade II listed buildings, including
- the Charles Street police building
- the Clock TowerClock Tower (Leicester)The Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower is a major landmark and popular meeting point in Leicester, United Kingdom. It is located roughly in the middle of the area inside the ring-road, and is at the point where five major streets meet, and also close by to the junction with Cheapside.The Clock Tower...
- St Martin's CathedralLeicester CathedralLeicester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Martin, Leicester is a Church of England cathedral in the English city of Leicester, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester...
(II star) - 31 Granby Street (HSBC bank)
All Saints is Grade B.
Skyscrapers
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 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 MidlandsEast Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
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
Evington
Evington is an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England. It used to be a small village centred around Main Street and the Anglican church of St Denys but was close enough to Leicester to become one of the outer suburbs in the 1930s...
.
However, in later years, most of Leicester's office towers became disused and abandoned, with 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
Leicester City Council
Leicester City Council is a unitary authority responsible for local government in the city of Leicester, England. It consists of 54 councillors, representing 22 wards in the city, overseen by a directly elected mayor. It is currently controlled by the Labour Party and has been led by Mayor Sir...
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 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.
LE1 Postal district
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
River Soar
The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...
, thus including Abbey Park. Where the A50
A50 road
The A50 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Warrington to Leicester; however, it was once a much longer route.-Current route:...
crosses the Soar, the boundary runs south, including Great Central Street
Leicester Central railway station
Leicester Central was a railway station in Leicester. It was situated to the west of the city centre, on Great Central Street which is today just off the inner ring road. It was closed in 1969.- Construction :...
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
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
, the De Montfort Hall
De Montfort Hall
De Montfort Hall is a music and performance venue in Leicester, England. It is situated adjacent to Victoria Park and is named after Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester.-History:...
, Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College
Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College
Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College, or "Q.E" is a sixth form college in Leicester, England.-Admissions:There are 1,865 full-time 16-18 year-old students and 140 teaching staff. More than 40 subjects are offered at A Level. Somewhat against the national trend Mathematics and Sciences account...
, Regent College
Regent College, Leicester
Regent College is one of three sixth form colleges located in Leicester, England.The principal currently at post is Paul Wilson-History:It was previously known as Wyggeston Grammar School for Girls. This school was originally situated in Humberstone Gate from 1878 as Wyggeston Hospital Girls'...
, the Welford Road cemetery
Welford Road Cemetery
Welford Road Cemetery is a public cemetery in Leicester.The Leicester General Cemetery Company was founded in 1845, and the cemetery itself opened in 1849. The buildings and plan of the cemetery were designed by J. R. Hamilton and J. M. Medland, who also designed cemeteries for Birmingham and...
, and Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Leicester
Victoria Park in Leicester, England is a public park of 69 acres . It is in the south-east, just outside the city centre, backing on to the University of Leicester and close to the Leicester railway station....
. However, London Road station
Leicester railway station
Leicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.As of late 2009 Leicester is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.-Background:...
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).
Nearby places
To the west, the city centre borders the river, on the other side of this is the West End of LeicesterWest End of Leicester
The West End of Leicester, England is an inner city area just west of the city centre, on the opposite side of the River Soar . The main roads in the area are Braunstone Gate, Hinckley Road and Narborough Road....
. To the south-east it borders Highfields, to the east, St Matthew's, and to the north-east, Belgrave
Belgrave, Leicestershire
Belgrave is an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England, consisting of the Leicester suburb of Belgrave in its entirety....
.