Just spent an excellent few hours in Leicester exploring the new Richard III visitor centre – and I highly recommend it. As a new tourist activity you would expect it to have all the bells and whistles, but the interactive DNA displays, videos dig diaries and storm trooper-style armour overview were excellent – they kept my 10 year old engaged, which can take some doing!
After a stop-off in the family-friendly café we went over the square to Leicester Cathedral, Richard’s final resting place. The queue to view the new tomb moved quickly and gave us the chance to look at the beautiful church, which is worth visiting in its own right (but I am a bit of a cathedral anorak!). I was particularly taken with the new Cathedra (the Bishop’s chair) which is thing of Modernist beauty, designed by Draisci Studio and manufactured by Benchmark Furniture.
So if you were considering taking a trip to Leicester I would say go for it – not only is Richard’s history fascinating and bloody (a bonus for the kids, I assure you!) but it is told in an engaging and relevant way. Well done Leicester!
