Next week, a four day celebration of Leicester’s hidden historic treasures will take place in the city.
Visitors will get a chance to go behind the scenes at key heritage and history sites across the city ranging from places of worship to historic cemeteries and gardens, as well as parks and landmark buildings.
Its all part of a programme of Heritage Open Days events taking place at venues across Leicester from Thursday 10 September, to Sunday 13 September.
Cllr Piara Singh Clair, Leicester Assistant City Mayor for culture, leisure and sport said: “Leicester has so much history and so many heritage venues, and this programme of events really showcases them in the best way.
“While some of these venues regularly open to the public, others are opening their doors especially for these Heritage Open Days, giving people a unique insight into these historic gems.”
Lectures, talks and guided walks will be on offer in the extensive Heritage Open Days programme.
City Hall, Town Hall, Leicester Secular Hall, Belgrave Hall and Gardens, De Montfort Hall and the City Rooms are some of the landmark buildings opening their doors for tours.
Both the city’s universities – De Montfort University and the University of Leicester – will be revealing their cultural and architectural gems in a series of talks and tours.
Notable places of worship will also be open for visitors to explore including Leicester Cathedral, Leicester Synagogue, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, the Central Baptist Church and William Carey Museum, Guru Nanak Gurdwara, and Bishop Street Methodist Church.
‘Behind the scenes’ tours are being offered by New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, while other historic buildings opening their doors include Jewry Wall Museum’s bathhouse, Leicester Castle and the Magazine Gateway building.
Stoneygate Tram Depot will be revealing its Edwardian history, and offering free heritage shuttle bus rides to the city centre.
Regular participants to Heritage Open Days, including Leicester Castle, the Magazine Gateway and Wygston’s House, will once again be taking part.
Westbridge Place, one of the city’s oldest mill buildings will also be opening its doors for a rare tour showing how the original architecture has been combined with cutting edge new refurbishment designs.
Elsewhere, visitors will be able to see how a 1920s three-bed home in Western Park has been transformed with pioneering energy-efficiency measures into a ‘SuperHome’ cutting its emissions by 73 per cent.
Other places involved in the Heritage Open Day events include the Peepul Centre, Regent Sports and Social Club, Makers Yard, the LCB Depot and the Glenfield Tunnel.
Full timetable of Heritage Open Day events is available online at: www.visitleicester.info/heritageopendays
