The Leicester City Centre houses the central business district and is also home to numerous commercial, transportation, and cultural hotspots. Considered a part of the central ring of the City Centre, visitors will find the University of Leicester, Leicester College, and De Monfort University. Seen also as extensions of the central city core are the Golden Mile, New Walk business district, and The King Power Stadium.
Most of the shopping venues within Leicester are located in the City Centre. Visitors can purchase numerous wares from the Haymarket Shopping Centre, Highcross, and Leicester Market. Abbey and Castle are the Leicester City Council wards responsible for splitting the centre. Recently, the City Centre was transformed as part of a £19 million project, and the actual work has won many awards.
History Of The City Centre
The original historic part of the City Centre was initially founded by Romans, and at a later time during the Medieval period, the newer gates were erected where the original Roman ones were. Jewry Wall’s original Roman baths are viewable and still preserved to this day.
Many notable architectural splendours remain in the area such as Leicester Castle, Guildhall, and Leicester Cathedral. A fairly small portion of the original town wall still remains visible from St Mary de Castro’s churchyard. The main gates of the town were sold off and demolished during the 18th century as it was supposedly in the way of traffic and progress.
Transportation Options
The City Centre offers numerous modern methods of transportation. St. Margaret’s and the Haymarket bus stations cater to the needs of the locals. Meanwhile, the Leicester London Road is a railway station that remains as the only option for rail enthusiasts. The City Centre also boasts a large number (8,500) off-street parking options for locals along with 1,500 park and ride spaces.
The Leicester City Centre also used to have an extensive tram network that started in 1874. It was initially powered by horse-drawn carriages only to be replaced by actual trams in the early 1900s. The tram network was closed down in 1949 in favour of more efficient bus services.
Modern Meets Classic Architecture
Much of the City Centre is a hodgepodge of different era buildings. The architecture varies greatly, especially since many concrete high-rise buildings were erected in the 60s and 70s to house local residents and to serve as office spaces. Unfortunately, many of these tall buildings were abandoned and not used at full capacity, leaving them to get demolished in recent years.