Leicester Hotels

featured hotels

Holiday Inn Leicester
Express by Holiday Inn Leicester-Walkers Stadium
Hilton Leicester
Corus Hotel Leicester - Leicester
Express by Holiday Inn Nottingham East Midlands Airport
Hilton East Midlands Airport
The Whipper-In Hotel - Rutland

leicester weather

Leicester is the largest city in the English East Midlands and lies on the River Soar at the edge of the National Forest.

One of the oldest cities in England, having been founded by the Romans, the remains of the baths of Roman Leicester can still be seen at the Jewry Wall, and other Roman artefacts are displayed in the Jewry Wall museum adjacent to the site. Nevertheless, the Roman town was largely abandoned when the Romans left Britain in the 5th century, but was later re-settled by the Saxons and the Vikings.

Leicester had become a town of considerable importance by Medieval times and was mentioned in the Domesday Book as 'civitas' (city), but Leicester lost its city status in the eleventh century owing to power struggles between the Church and the aristocracy. It was eventually re-made a city in 1919, and the Church of St. Martin became Leicester Cathedral in 1927.

With the construction of the Grand Union Canal in the 1790's, linking Leicester to London and Birmingham, Leicester began rapid industrialisation. The main industries being hosiery, footwear and, especially in the twentieth century, engineering. Major industries in Leicester today include food processing, hosiery, footwear, knitwear, engineering, electronics, printing and plastics.

Today, Leicester's city centre is mainly Victorian with some later developments, at the heart of which is the Clock Tower at the intersection of five routes into the city; namely High Street, Churchgate, Belgrave Gate, Humberstone Gate and Gallowtree Gate. The city centre is home to the Haymarket and the Shires shopping centres, both of which face the clock tower. Leicester Market, Europe's largest covered market, is nearby. The historic core of the City lies slightly to the west, and monuments here include the Castle, the Anglican cathedral of St Martin, the mediaeval churches of St Mary de Castro and St. Nicholas, the Guildhall and the Jewry Wall.

Leicester one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United Kingdom and has a large ethnic minority population, mainly from the Indian subcontinent, and the area around Belgrave Road is known as the Golden Mile and contains many Indian restaurants, jewellery shops, and other shops catering to the large Asian community in the neighbourhood. Many people travel to the area specifically for the restaurants, which serve authentic Indian cuisine. The annual Diwali celebrations are also held here and at the nearby Abbey Park, and are the biggest outside of India. Leicester also has a large Afro-Caribbean community, centred around Highfields to the southeast of the city centre and Leicester plays host to the second-largest Caribbean Carnival in the UK after Notting Hill.

Leicester also plays host to an annual Pride parade (Leicester Pride) and the Summer Sundae music festival.

Places of interest in Leicester include:

• Abbey Park
• Abbey Pumping Station
• Belgrave Hall
• Fosse Park
• Gorse Hill City Farm
• Great Central Railway
• Haymarket Centre
• Jewry Wall
• Leicester Botanic Gardens
• Leicester Cathedral
• Leicester Guildhall
• National Space Centre
• The City Gallery (one of the regions leading contemporary art galleries)
• The De Montfort Hall
• The Haymarket Theatre
• The Little Theatre
• The Phoenix Arts Centre
• The Shires
• Victoria Park