Tucked into the western edge of Leicester City Centre, between Saint Nicholas Circle to the north and De Montfort University to the south, Leicester Castle occupies a site that has shaped the city since the Norman Conquest. Built along the eastern bank of the River Soar and constructed over earlier Roman walls in the south-western corner of the medieval town, the castle was most likely raised around 1070 under the governorship of Hugh de Grandmesnil. What survives today includes a large motte, the Great Hall, the Church of St Mary de Castro, and the ruined Turret Gateway. The castle is a scheduled monument.
A Seat of Power Through the Medieval Period
In 1107, King Henry I granted the castle and the old Roman town to Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan, making him the first Earl of Leicester. Under his ownership, significant building work took place in the bailey and a college of priests was established to serve the castle chapel. The castle then passed through the House of Montfort between 1239 and 1265 before the Earldoms of Leicester and Lancaster were combined in 1267 under the House of Lancaster. Several notable figures died within its walls, including John of Gaunt in 1399, his second wife Constance of Castile in 1394, and Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, on 23 March 1361. English kings including Edward I, Edward II, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, and Edward IV all had connections to the castle, with it serving as an official royal residence through much of the 15th century. In 1173, during a rebellion against Henry II led by his three eldest sons, the town was burnt and the castle was slighted – one of at least 21 castles demolished on the king’s orders, according to historian Sidney Painter. The original motte stood 40 feet (12.2 metres) high.
The Great Hall and Later Uses
By the mid-15th century the castle was no longer considered a suitable royal residence and shifted to a largely judicial role. The Great Hall became the home of Leicester County Assizes and is now encased in a Queen Anne style frontage. It also hosted sessions of the Parliament of England, most notably the Parliament of Bats in 1426, when conditions in London made the city an alternative venue. A section of the castle wall adjacent to the Turret Gateway contains gun loops, an indication of later defensive modifications to the structure.