Latest news with #LeicesterCathedral
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Opening date announced for cathedral extension
A new £12.7m heritage and learning centre at Leicester Cathedral will open in June, senior clergy have confirmed. Work to extend the cathedral, where the remains of King Richard III are interred, began in 2021 and has now been completed. The Diocese of Leicester said the opening of the extension on Saturday 14 June would be a "significant milestone" for the place of worship. The new facility will include an exhibition space with curations about the history of the cathedral and the wider city and will include Roman and mediaeval artefacts. Dean of the cathedral, the Very Reverend Karen Rooms, said: "The opening of the heritage and learning centre is a transformative moment for Leicester Cathedral and prepares us for the next 100 years. "This project has restored and renewed this ancient building and helps us to balance the needs of our services and worship, cultural tourists, school visits, community events, pilgrims and visitors. "This new building expresses our commitment to be a cathedral for everyone." The diocese said it wanted the project to enable the building to "function as a 21st Century cultural space without compromising the sacred workings of a Church of England cathedral". The new centre, paid for through donations, fundraising and National Heritage Lottery Fund grants, will also include an educational space open to schools and community groups. It will also have modern toilet facilities for visitors and provide office space for cathedral staff. An opening ceremony and ribbon cutting has been planned for 11:00 BST on 14 June. Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Hoardings come down to reveal cathedral extension Cathedral to re-open after 22-month transformation Roman shrine discovered near cathedral graveyard Diocese of Leicester
BBC News
12-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Opening date announced for £12.7m Leicester Cathedral extension
A new £12.7m heritage and learning centre at Leicester Cathedral will open in June, senior clergy have to extend the cathedral, where the remains of King Richard III are interred, began in 2021 and has now been Diocese of Leicester said the opening of the extension on Saturday 14 June would be a "significant milestone" for the place of new facility will include an exhibition space with curations about the history of the cathedral and the wider city and will include Roman and mediaeval artefacts. Dean of the cathedral, the Very Reverend Karen Rooms, said: "The opening of the heritage and learning centre is a transformative moment for Leicester Cathedral and prepares us for the next 100 years."This project has restored and renewed this ancient building and helps us to balance the needs of our services and worship, cultural tourists, school visits, community events, pilgrims and visitors."This new building expresses our commitment to be a cathedral for everyone." The diocese said it wanted the project to enable the building to "function as a 21st Century cultural space without compromising the sacred workings of a Church of England cathedral".The new centre, paid for through donations, fundraising and National Heritage Lottery Fund grants, will also include an educational space open to schools and community will also have modern toilet facilities for visitors and provide office space for cathedral opening ceremony and ribbon cutting has been planned for 11:00 BST on 14 June.
BBC News
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Old Town festival to celebrate St George and Roman heritage in Leicester
A free two-day festival is set to take place in Leicester to celebrate both St George's Day and the city's Roman heritage. A large replica Roman forum will be constructed and disassembled in Jubilee Square in the space of 48 hours during the Old Town Festival on 26 and 27 April. Visitors will also have the chance to encounter a fire breathing dragon, learn about the archaeology of Roman Leicester and meet costumed characters including knights, jesters, wizards and centurions. Events will take place at Leicester Cathedral, the Cathedral Gardens and Leicester Guildhall as well as Jubilee Square between 10:00 BST and 17:00 on both days. The construction of the forum will be led by artist Olivier Grossetête, who specialises in large-scale constructions using only cardboard and sticky tape. Participants will start by creating key elements of the structure, such as arches and balconies, before working as a team to join the pieces together. Organisers have said St George and the Roman empire are more linked than many people might expect. "St George was likely a Roman soldier from 3rd Century Cappadocia, now Turkey," a spokesperson said. "His bravery inspired legends, especially the famous tale of him slaying a dragon. While the story is likely symbolic, St George is still seen as a hero of faith and courage. "He became the patron saint of England and many other places and his red cross on a white background remains a national symbol today."The event has been organised by Leicester City Council alongside BID Leicester, Global Streets, Arts Council England, Highcross Leicester, Haymarket Shopping Centre and Hidden Histories.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
St Patrick's Day 2025: Everything happening in Leicester's streets, pubs and bars
St Patrick's Day may not be a national holiday in the UK but we still celebrate it in our masses, and Leicester is no exception. This year the patron Saint of Ireland's big day falls on a Monday, but fear not the city will still be putting on a good show the weekend before. Monday, March 17, is St Patrick's Day this year and there are a plethora of venues across the region that have got some fun-filled activities planned, involving Guinness, live music and even oysters. Open up your diaries, note down whatever tickles your fancy and douse yourself in green for the occasion. READ MORE: Leicester Cathedral's new extension revealed for the first time St Patrick's Day Parade The annual Leicester St Patrick's Day parade is coming to town on Sunday, March 16 at 12 noon and will wind its way through the city, meeting at 11.45am on New Walk next to Holy Cross Church. Irish or not, everyone is welcome to join the parade that will turn the streets of Leicester into a sea of green, blasting Irish music to the high heavens. The crowd will be led by the Emerald club's Irish pipe band and it will finish at the Clock Tower for more music, speeches and dancing. Emerald Club Afterparty If you think you might be left wanting more after the parade - the Emerald Club's afterparty tickets are available to grab now for £7 - under 16's get free entry. The party will continue at the Nott's Club with doors opening from 1.30pm, and you can enjoy music by Declan Gaynor, as well as dancing and food. Tickets are only sold from The Emerald Centre so email them at emeraldcentre@ for more information. The Rutland & Derby Arms This Irish pub will be putting on a feast for the parade-goers with its Guinness and Oyster Festival returning for the 11th year. The pub offers a taste of Dublin's Temple Bar, with Irish-inspired music, Guinness and freshly shucked oysters being the focus. From Friday, March 14 to Monday, March 17 there will be three days of street food - off their menu which launched last year - and live music. The Craic will perform on Saturday and Tara Simms will play on Sunday evening. For full details visit their Instagram page. Katie O'Brien's Irish Tavern In the central location of Market Street, Katie O'Brien's is your best bet to stay in on the action. For St Patrick's Day they will be putting on four days of live music and sports from Friday, March 14. Get the Genuineness flowing and order a round of baby Guinness shots to perk you up. There's no booking needed, so enjoy some live music on the bar stage. For more details visit the website. O'Neills Authentic Irish bar O'Neill's has a sturdy line up of St Patrick's Day events. Beginning from Tuesday 11 March and ending on the big day itself there will be a host of entertainment and drinks deals on offer. There will be a special St, Paddy's Day with Happy Hour from 12pm-4pm on Monday, March 17, but there will also be a St. Pat's Eve party with top notch entertainment and plenty of drinks deals in Leicester. Plus, if you download their app you can get £2 Guinness, 241 on Baby Guinness shots and a free Dublin Mule cocktail. Walkabout Leicester A take on a classic - Walkabout will be offering crispy chicken wings coated with a Guinness glaze, available as a plate of 7 or a massive 1kg sharer. There will be All-You-Can-Eat Wings on Sunday, March 16 when you can enjoy unlimited wings for £12.95pwe person. They have also cooked up a special Paddy's day drinks menu, including a baby mint shot and a bright green shamrock shandy. Even the bottomless brunch will get an Irish makeover with a free baby mint shot on arrival with every brunch booking and you can add pints of Guinness or shamrock shandy to your brunch for just £5 per person. St Patrick's weekend at Bistro Live One of Leicester's biggest venues, Bistro Live, will be throwing a St Patrick's day party seeing you through from evening food to dancing into the early hours. Starting at 7 pm on Friday 14th March for £23.40 you can bag yourself a three course dinner with full table service, a live party band playing all the cheesy hits and a DJ set to finish off the night. For booking visit their eventbrite page. Barnacles restaurant bar and bistro, Hinckley If you fancy something a bit more relaxed and don't mind venturing out of town - Barnacles could be your man. On Saturday, March 15, their Irish themed night will serve you up wood-fired pizza by The Pizza Box and music from Josh Darby and Fern Duffy to keep you dancing all night. The tent will open for drinks from 6pm onwards, with the live music commencing around 8.30pm. There will be five ten-inch pizzas to choose from and there will be vegetarian, vegan, dairy free and gluten free options. There will also be a number of drinks promotions and offers on Guinness and a free shot if you prove you can "Split the G" of your stout. For more information and bookings -which will cost £25 per person- visit their website. We are now bringing you the latest updates on WhatsApp first
BBC News
12-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Hoardings come down to reveal Leicester Cathedral extension
Construction site hoardings outside Leicester Cathedral have been taken down to reveal the medieval building's new heritage and learning majority of Cathedral Gardens was fenced off in 2021 as part of a £12.7m revamp of the historical building, which is home to the remains of King Richard area has now been opened up again as work on the project draws to a has also been taken down to show the extension's stonework, glazed terracotta fins and copper roof parapet. The Diocese of Leicester said the hoardings had been removed temporarily to aid the cathedral's involvement with the city's Light Up Leicester festival from 12–15 March. The site will then again be sealed off with fencing to allow for the reinstatement of Cathedral Gardens, including repair work, installation of new turf and the removal of temporary ground works done to make the site safe during the is anticipated Cathedral Gardens and the heritage and learning centre will be fully opened by late May or early Norman, chief operating officer at Leicester Cathedral, said: "We can't wait to welcome the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and beyond back to a fully reopened Cathedral site.""There has been much hard work with plenty of challenges along the way."But since we reopened the main cathedral building back in November 2023 we've seen an amazing response to the work to restore the building, renew our sacred spaces, and reaffirm the cathedral's place at the centre of city and county."
