Situated in the south-east of the city, just beyond the city centre, Victoria Park covers 69 acres of open ground in Leicester. It backs directly onto the University of Leicester campus and lies within easy reach of Leicester railway station, making it one of the most accessible green spaces in the city.
From Racecourse to Public Park
The land that became Victoria Park was historically part of the South Fields of Leicester. From 1806 to 1883 it functioned as a racecourse, before racing transferred to the purpose-built Leicester Racecourse in Oadby. The park itself opened in 1882. A Victorian grandstand remained on site well into the 20th century, repurposed as a pavilion after the horses left, until a German parachute bomb damaged it in 1940. It was eventually demolished, and a replacement pavilion opened on the same spot in 1958. In its earlier years, Leicester Fosse – the club that later became Leicester City Football Club – used the ground for matches on various occasions between 1884 and 1890.
Memorials, Events, and Facilities
Two war memorials occupy the park. The Arch of Remembrance, a quadrifrons arch designed by Edwin Lutyens and built in 1923, commemorates those who died in the First World War. It is a Grade I listed building and sits at the head of an ornamental walkway known as Peace Walk, with gates also by Lutyens opening onto University Road. A smaller memorial near the cafe honours the American 82nd Airborne Division, which was stationed in Leicester before the D-Day landings. The gates and lodges on the London Road side of the park were also designed by Lutyens, completed in 1930. The majority of the park is level, open grassland, and the larger spaces have hosted notable outdoor events including BBC Radio 1’s One Big Sunday, the Leicester Caribbean Carnival, Leicester Pride, the Summer Sundae music festival, BBC Radio 2 in the Park, and a sold-out Kasabian concert that drew 50,000 people. Sports facilities include tennis, basketball, bowls, croquet, football, and cricket, alongside a skate park, an adventure playground, and a pavilion with changing rooms and a cafe. A parkrun also takes place every Saturday morning at 9am.