Sitting within the old medieval precinct known as the Newarke – the ‘New Work’ of Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster – the Newarke Houses Museum occupies a corner of De Montfort University‘s city campus in Leicester. It sits close to the 15th-century Magazine Gateway and draws on two historic buildings: Wyggeston’s Chantry House, built around 1511, and Skeffington House, a 17th-century property associated with Thomas Skeffington. Both buildings played a part in the Siege of Leicester during the English Civil War in 1645. After being sold in 1908 – Chantry House as a private residence and Skeffington House as a boys’ school – the two properties were brought together and converted for museum use in 1953, during the celebrations marking the coronation of Elizabeth II.
Collections and Exhibits
One of the most visited displays concerns Daniel Lambert, an 18th-century Leicester man who weighed over 50 stone (320 kg) and was celebrated in his lifetime as Britain’s largest man. His chair and items of clothing are among the objects on show. Alongside this, the museum holds a reconstructed 1950s Leicester street scene modelled on Wharf Street, complete with model shops, and a toy collection spanning Tudor times to the present day. Further collections cover Leicester’s hosiery and clothing industries, with particular reference to firms such as Corah’s and Wolsey. One ground-floor room retains a 17th-century interior, giving a sense of the buildings’ original character.
The Royal Leicestershire Regiment
A dedicated section of the museum houses the collection of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, including regimental drums, a tiger mascot, medals, and records that can be searched via computer. A model trench on the first floor and home-front objects such as a Morrison shelter and gas masks reflect life during both World Wars. Between 2014 and 2018, the museum ran a rolling series of exhibitions under the title ‘Leicester Remembers’, marking the centenary of the First World War.
Gardens
The museum gardens are laid out in a medieval-style geometric pattern using box hedges arranged in maze-like forms. Stocked during Victorian times with exotic trees and other plants, several of these specimens still survive. The end wall of the garden retains gun loops, a reminder of the site’s long history within the old Newarke precinct.