Visited October 2025
| Location | Leicester |
| Entrance Fee | Yes |
| Railway Station Nearby | Yes- Leicester |
| Parking | City Centre |
| Facilities | Toilets |
We don't usually give cathedrals an entire article to themselves, as they often can be fitted onto the end of a page on a nearby castle as a suggestion of other attractions to visit at the same time. This means we can then focus on abbeys, often the ruins thereof, in the Religious Sites sections. However, we felt this cathedral deserved its own page- mainly because it is the final resting place of Richard III, who was interred here in 2015 to worldwide interest.
Review
The cathedral started out as the church of St Martin, and became a cathedral in 1927. Although the original church was Norman, most of what we see today dates back to a Victorian re-furbishment. Back in Norman times the church was opposite Greyfriars Monastery, which is where Richard III was hastily buried after his death in the Battle of Bosworth. The Abbey was demolished in 1538, and the exact site was lost to memory. When Richard's remains were discovered in 2012 , arrangements were made for his re-interrment in the the cathderal. Since the discovery, it is estimated that Richardian tourism has brought approx. £79 million to the city.
The tomb of Richard, the last English king to die in battle, is the main attraction in the cathedral. There is an exhibition in a room to the side of the main cathedral area. The tomb is impressive to see, and difficult to photograph since it slopes, (deliberately) and therefore looks slightly wonky however you manange to catch it.
There is a small play area for children in the cathedral, but not much else to interest them. However, looking at the tomb doesn't take long so they won't need to spend hours being otherwise amused if tombs are not their thing.
Once out of the catheral you can pop next door to see the medieval Guildhall, which is free to enter. This suberb building dates back to 1390, and was originally used as a meeting place of the Guild of Corpus Christi, before taking on other uses such as a town hall, theatre, police station and puclic library. There is a small museum there and some of the rooms are displayed as they would have been throughout different historical eras.
Slightly further away is the Jewry Wall, a large piece of Roman wall which was once the site of a bathhouse. There is a museum housed in the building next to the site, with some amazing mosiacs on display. It is interactive and very child friendly. English Heritage members get half price admission too!
More info: Leicester Cathedral
