Bed and breakfast accommodation in Leicester Monasteries

Wander around Leicester Market which is located right in the heart of the city near the clock tower. It has more than 270 different stalls to explore ranging from fruit, veg to flowers, clothes & Jewellery. 

Right near the Centre of town you will find Leicester Cathedral, a beautiful building with a rich History. It is known for being the place of burial of Richard III where he remains today. 

Belgrave Hall and Gardens is a beautiful building that is used as a museum with various artefacts, with a small walled garden. You can visit the hall on special event days, between April and September the gardens are open every Wednesday and the first weekend of the month. 

Abbey Park is the perfect spot to visit and has exciting history dotted around, the River Soar flows through the park, and there is also a café, boating lake and a miniature railway. You will find it just a short distance from the City Centre, a mile north. 

You will find loads of traditional shops and Indian restaurants along the Golden Mile just ten minutes’ walk from the city Centre, it’s the heart of the city’s Asian community and is a must visit for Curry lovers. You can also try the St Martins square and The Lanes for a different variety of Bars, Restaurants and cafés. 

Highcross Leicester is an indoor shopping Centre with a wide mix of fashion stores, over 40 cafes and delicious restaurants and even its own Cinema Lux. 

Travel 

There are many pedestrianized routes in Leicester City so it’s easy to get around by walking as all popular locations in the city are reachable.

There are also many dedicated cycle paths in Leicester City, so it’s very easy to get around a bit quicker by bicycle.

All buses into the city drop you within walking distance of the shops, and the main bus station is Haymarket Bus station. There are many bus routes that run through the city with regular services to and from Birmingham, Nottingham and London. 

There are many hire companies in Leicester for you to be able to hire a vehicle from, if you’re not already travelling by a car. 

The Leicester railway station is in the city Centre, it can take you into London, Leeds, Sheffield, Cambridge and many more locations. There is also a direct train to the London Stansted airport and Luton Airport, other airports such as Gatwick can also be reached but with a change on the route. 

Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, with a rich history dating back at least 2,000 years. 

In the medieval times following the Norman Conquest, it was named a city however lost this status in the 11th century due to power struggles between the aristocracy and the Church and it wasn’t until 1919 that it became a legal city once again. 

The main important industry in Leicester was making wool and the making of leather. There was a weekly market and annual fair, with the fair only being held once a year for the period of a few days, which would attract buyers from all over the midlands. 

In 1700 there were about 6,000 people in Leicester, which then rose to around 8,000 by 1730. The growth stabilized till 1760 before it began to increase rapidly to 17,000 by 1800. With the town rapidly growing there were lots of houses being built and St Margaret’s Parish was built between 1835-1860. The population grew to around 40,000 in 1841 and to 68,000 in 1861. 

At the end of the war of the Roses, King Richard III was buried in GreyFriars Church, which was then demolished in 1538 and is now covered by modern buildings and a car park. Legend has it that his corpse was cast in to the river, however in 2012 there was an archeological investigation of the car park which revealed a skeleton, and after investigation and further testing it was revealed that the DNA was related to two descendants of Richard III’s sister, and with this in mind it was concluded that it was in fact King Richard III & he was reburied in pride near the high altar in Leicester Cathedral. 

In the 1790s the construction of the Grand union Canal linked Leicester to Birmingham and London.