Richard III Visitor Centre

Less than two years have passed since Leicester City Council purchased an old school building with the aim of creating a centre that would tell the story of the remarkable search for –and at that point unconfirmed discovery of – King Richard lll.

The incredible transformation of the former Alderman Newton’s School, located right next to the spot where the king’s remains were found, is now complete and the King Richard lll Visitor Centre opened its doors to the public on 26 July.

The former school – a stunning Victorian Gothic revival building built partly on the site of the former Grey Friars Church and in the heart of Leicester’s Old Town – had stood empty since 2008 when its last occupants, Leicester Grammar School, moved out.

The importance of its position – overlooking the possible gravesite of the long-lost Last Plantagenet King of England – was immediately obvious, and Leicester City Council bought the freehold for the building for in November 2012.