(A) The Clock Tower was built in 1868 and the four statues are of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester and three local benefactors: William Wyggeston, Thomas White and Alderman Newton.
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Simon de Montfort (c.1208-1265) was the 6th Earl of Leicester and is credited with setting up the first English Parliament in 1265. Simon de Montfort's efforts setting up a parliament were not appreciated by the King (Henry III) and after Montfort's death at the Battle of Evesham, his body was mutilated, beheaded and buried in unconsecrated land.
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William Wyggeston (1456 - 1536), also spelt Wigston (or Wygston), was a wealthy wool merchant based in Leicester. He was twice Mayor of Leicester, MP for Leicester in 1504 at the Parliament of Henry VII, and established Wyggeston Hospital (almshouse) in 1513 in the centre of Leicester, to house the poor. It was originally sited close to St Martin's Church (now Leicester Cathedral).
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Thomas White (1492 - 1567) was Lord Mayor of London. He set up a loan scheme in 1551 which benefitted several Midlands towns, including Leicester. The scheme offered interest free loans to young men to set themselves up in business.
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Alderman Gabriel Newton (1683 - 1762) was Mayor of Leicester in 1732. After the death of his only son, he used much of his wealth to provide educational facilities for the poorer children of the town.
(B) The attractive old stone building is the Old Grammar School, built 1573. When no longer used as a school, it was used as a warehouse and is now a restaurant.
(C) The exact site of the former Blue Boar Inn, where King Richard III stayed on 21st August 1485, the evening before the Battle of Bosworth has conflicting information, some sources state it was where the Travel Lodge now stands and an information board about it has been installed at the Travel Lodge.
According to legend, the inn was originally called the White Boar, taking its name from Richard's emblem. However, the landlord allegedly changed the name after Richard's death at Bosworth.
(D) According to some sources the King Richard III public house now stands near to the site of the former Blue Boar Inn. The name of the public house is a reminder of the impact King Richard III still has on Leicester today.
(E) As you walk along Applegate, Wygston's House is on your right. Wygston's House, built 1490, is the oldest house still standing in Leicester. It has some later additions. It was formerly a costume museum but it closed some years ago and the collection was moved to Newarke Houses Museum. The House is open to the public on the last Sunday of each month.
(F) Burial place of Richard III. King Richard III died in battle at Bosworth on 22 August 1485, aged 32 years old. He had been king for two years. He was defeated by Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII of England*. Richard is the last English king to have died in battle. Richard's body was slung over a horse and brought back to Leicester. It was publicly exhibited, so everyone would know he was 'really' dead. , and eventually buried in the church of the Greyfriars Friary. Richard was hastily buried in a grave too small for him and his hands were not untied by the Friars. Doubtless, Tudor guards were looking on and the Friars felt unable to do any more. The body had been lying out for two days in August and the burial was probably was not a pleasant task!
[Henry VII's claim to the throne was poor and he only really made his claim 'good', by marrying Elizabeth of York (Richard III's niece). Even now, our present Queen does not reckon her line of succession through Henry VII but through Elizabeth of York.]
The Greyfriars monastery was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538 and over time, its location became lost. In August 2012, the University of Leicester, Leicester City Council and the Richard III Society collaborated in an archaeological search for the remains of Richard III, on the former site of the Greyfriars - now a council car park. They uncovered the skeleton of an adult male, which has subsequently been identified as Richard III. His battle scars, evidence of spinal curvature and DNA matching with present-day descendants of Richard's family provided conclusive evidence that they had found the King.
(G) St Mary de Castro means St Mary of the Castle. This church was once the chapel for Leicester Castle and stands within the former castle grounds. The founding of the church is believed to date from 1107, when Henry I of England granted the castle and grounds to Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, a Norman nobleman. Legend suggests that Anglo-Saxon church of St Mary already stood on the site, and that Robert de Beaumont simply refurbished it. In any case, the church on this site has undergone alteration and additions over the centuries, including a 55 metre spire in about 1400. King Henry VI was knighted in St Mary's in 1426, when he was just 5 years old. (He had become king when he was 9 months old - which was the earliest anyone became King of England in history). It is also thought that Geoffrey Chaucer married at St Mary de Castro. The body of King Richard III may have rested here briefly after the Battle of Bosworth.
(H) Castle Yard, Leicester Castle and The Great Hall.
You are standing in the Castle Yard (the area between St Mary de Castro and the Great Hall) which was used for public executions.
Leicester's first castle was built around 1068 by Hugh de Grentmesnil, likely by order of William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings (1066). It was a Motte and Bailey castle, and situated to take advantage of the surviving Roman walls to the south and west. The motte (an earthen mound) still survives (although no longer as high) and is visible from Castle Gardens. It would have been topped by a wooden tower (keep).
In the early-mid 1100s, the 2nd Earl of Leicester Robert de Beaumont (also known as Robert le Bossu - Robert the hunchback), set about rebuilding the timber castle in stone.
Richard III visited Leicester on various occasions (the first, as a boy in 1464), and stayed at the castle on his journeys between the north and south of England. The castle fell into disrepair in 1485 and the royal suite of rooms were in a poor state. For this reason, Richard put up at an inn the night prior to the Battle of Bosworth, and not (as is sometimes claimed) because he was afraid of disloyal Leicester people.
The Great Hall was built around 1150 by Robert le Bossu, 2nd Earl of Leicester. Today, it is considered to be one of the finest Norman Halls in England. It is Grade I listed. It has been extensively rebuilt and the timber roof may be 14th century (sources differ here). The original stone facing of the Great Hall was removed and the current red brick frontage dates from 1695. However, the basic structure remains early Medieval.
The castle was used as a Parliament in 1426 - The Parliament of Bats (called this because the MPs were not allowed to carry swords but were allowed to carry clubs or bats!). In the 15th century, Leicester was home to parliament on three other occasions, showing that Leicester was an important city. During the 1800s the Great Hall was converted into law courts, now disused.
(I) King Richard III statue.
The Richard III bronze statue by James Walter Butler was commissioned in 1980 by the Richard III society. The statue shows Richard fighting. Sources say that Richard III died gallantly at Bosworth, such as Rous: “If I may speak the truth to his honour, although small of body and weak in strength, he most valiantly defended himself as a noble knight to his last breath, often exclaiming as he was betrayed, and saying Treason! Treason! Treason!”
(J) The Bow Bridge and Richard III Plaque.
The Bow Bridge. Historically, King Richard III rode to battle across the old Bow Bridge (demolished 1861) and according to legend, his spur struck a stone on the bridge as he crossed it. An old woman in the crowd is said to have prophesised the Kings defeat and that his head would strike the same stone on the way back. The ironwork of today's bridge reflects the white rose of York, the Tudor rose, the white boar emblem and Richard's motto 'Loyaulte me Lie' (Loyalty binds me).
Richard III plaque. On the red brick building beside the Bow Bridge is a stone plaque to Richard III. The plaque was put up in 1856 by a local businessman, Benjamin Broadbent who subscribed to the legend that Richard's body had been dug up, dragged through Leicester's streets and thrown into the River Soar by an angry mob. This was supposed to have happened in 1538 when Henry VIII dissolved and destroyed the monasteries, including Greyfriars where Richard had been buried. The Richard III Society has since placed a plaque adjacent to this to explain the myth is now discredited.
(K) Former Trinity Hospital. The Trinity Hospital was founded in 1331 by the 3rd Earl of Lancaster and Leicester. The only really old part that survives is the chapel. Most of the current building was built as an almshouse in 1901. The residents were moved out to modern accommodation by the river and the building now houses offices of Leicester De Montfort University and has been renamed Trinity House.
Look up Castle View to your left to see the arch over the road. Beyond this is St Mary de Castro and the Great Hall, which you saw earlier.
(L) The Turret Gateway was built 1422-23 at the south entrance to the inner bailey of the castle. It is Grade I listed. Back in the day, it was three stories high and had a portcullis. The third story was destroyed in an election riot in 18 32.
(M) Newarke Houses Museum. This combines two houses - Wyggeston's Chantry House (the stone house) built about 1511 and Skeffington House built in 1600. Both have been altered over the years. Entry to the museum is free.
(N) The Magazine is a medieval gateway, added to Leicester Castle by the 3rd Earl of Leicester around 1410. It gained its present name during the English Civil War (1642-51) when it was used to store munitions.
(O) Greyfriars road is named for the site of the Greyfriars Friary. This monastery was established in the 12th century and was named after the grey robes worn by the Franciscan monks who lived here. The monks were quite poor and would have spent their time out in the community. The Friary was demolished during the period of the dissolution of the monasteries, by order of King Henry VIII in 1538.