It was home to a young David Attenborough inspired by its museum and art gallery to become a naturalist.
But this East Midlands city has often endured a bad reputation due to its industrial decline and racial tensions. Now a well known travel blogger has extolled the virtues of an often under appreciated British city which is far more beautiful than most people who have never visited imagine.
The online travel guide “A Lady in London” is written and run by Julie Falconer. She began the blog in 2007 and transitioned to a full-time career in 2010. Falconer is known for her in-depth coverage of London and other UK cities.
She wrote: “People stared in disbelief when I told them I was going to visit Leicester for fun. But it turned out to be another of the underrated cities in Britain that impressed me.
“I found so much to do that I had to go back a second time to see everything. Like Chester, it has Roman ruins and a cathedral, and it also has a Richard III museum that follows the miraculous story of the discovery of the king’s remains. Add in beautiful heritage architecture and New Walk, one of the prettiest pedestrianised streets in the country, and this city is a winner.”
The “prettiest pedestrianised street” she is referring to of course is New Walk, a rare example of a Georgian pedestrian promenade. Laid out by the Corporation of Leicester in 1785, the walkway was intended to connect Welford Place with the racecourse (now Victoria Park) and is said to follow the line of a Roman trackway, the Via Devana. Originally named “Queen’s Walk”, after Queen Charlotte, consort of George III, it was eventually the popular name of the “New Walk” that survived. Almost a mile long, New Walk has been a Conservation Area since 1969, ensuring its unique character is protected.
Houses built at the lower end of New Walk in the 1820s were the first on the walkway and were designed as “genteel residences” for the families and servants of businessmen and professionals. Development was controlled however to protect the public’s enjoyment of the walkway. Houses had to be at least ten yards from the Walk, fenced off by iron railings, and there was no access for carriages onto New Walk itself. In 1840 one resident described New Walk as “the only solely respectable street in Leicester”.
The houses around central New Walk date from the 1850s and 1860s and would have been the homes of merchants, manufacturers and professionals. Residents in the 1880s included Josiah Gimson, head of a large engineering firm, whose home (No. 112) is now part of the Belmont Hotel.
The first public building on New Walk was a Roman Catholic chapel (1819) on the site of what is now Holy Cross Priory. A Nonconformist Proprietary School was opened in the 1830s and later became the Town Museum (now Leicester Museum & Art Gallery). The Albion Tepid Baths at 5 New Walk were built in the 1840s and used warm water provided by a sewing cotton factory at No 32 King Street.
Central New Walk contains two green spaces; The Oval (traditionally popular with children’s nannies) and De Montfort Square with its statue of Robert Hall, a 19th-century Baptist minister. Hall was a great public speaker who campaigned for better conditions for local hosiery workers. The Belmont Hotel building (on the corner of De Montfort Street) started life as a school for young ladies. Opposite is St Stephen’s United Reformed church, originally built on London Road near the railway station. It was moved here in the 1890s to make way for a hotel.
Despite many of the houses today now sub-divided into offices of flats these changes it has managed to retain its unique character as an urban promenade. Take a stroll up Leicester’s leafy New Walk today and you’ll be following in some pretty impressive footsteps. Young naturalist-in-the-making David Attenborough would have as he made his way along New Walk to the museum here that so inspired him.
According to www.gpsmycity.com “Leicester, has a storied past that is vividly presented in its historical buildings. Valuable architectural monuments are the city’s pride and as such enjoy special protection by the government.”
Magazine Gateway stands as a testament to the city’s medieval legacy. Originally part of its defensive walls, this structure now serves as a striking landmark. Through this gateway you will find the Newarke Houses Museum, showcasing Leicester’s architectural evolution along with insights into its daily life from medieval times to the present.
Leicester Castle, designed as part of the town’s fortification system in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest, it then served as a royal residence and courthouse, witnessing many momentous events such as the English Civil War.
The Jewry Wall Museum showcases Leicester’s Roman period, featuring remnants of Roman baths and an extensive archaeological collection.
The Church of Mary de Castro is another noteworthy location withith its Norman architecture. Saint Nicholas’s Church and The Guildhall are emblematic of Leicester’s religious and civic heritage, respectively. The former is the oldest place of worship in the city, while the latter is said to have seen William Shakespeare himself live on stage.
For more information on visiting Leicester go to visitleicester.info