Leicester Castle

Leicester Castle
Leicestershire
The Great Hall
Leicester Castle is located in Leicestershire
Leicester Castle
Leicester Castle
Shown within Leicestershire
Coordinates52°37′56.4″N 1°8′28.3″W / 52.632333°N 1.141194°W / 52.632333; -1.141194
TypeNorman
Site information
Open to
the public
everyday
Site history
Built11th century
Built byWilliam the Conqueror
In useLaw court
Official nameLeicester Castle and the Magazine Gateway
Designated26 June 1924
Reference no.1012147
Map of central Leicester. The dotted line shows the line of the medieval town walls.

Leicester Castle is in the city of the same name in the English county of Leicestershire. The complex is situated in the west of Leicester City Centre, between Saint Nicholas Circle to the north and De Montfort University to the south. A large motte, the Great Hall, the Church of St Mary de Castro, and the ruined Turret Gateway are the substantial remains of what was once a large set of defensive and residential structures. It was historically the seat of the Earls of Leicester, from 1107-1175 under the House of Beaumont, from 1239 to 1265 under the House of Montfort, and after 1267 with the House of Lancaster when the Earldoms of Leicester and Lancaster were combined. The Castle's Great Hall served for centuries as the home of Leicester County Assizes and is encased in a Queen Anne style frontage. The Castle is a scheduled monument.[1]

  1. ^ Historic England. "Leicester Castle and the Magazine Gateway (1012147)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 September 2019.