A VISITOR centre that tells the story of the extraordinary discovery of a king in a Leicester car park is celebrating its 10th birthday this week.
The King Richard III Visitor Centre opened its doors to the public on 26 July 2014 – less than 18 months after remains found in a shallow grave proved to be those of the long-lost medieval monarch.
Commissioned by the city council and created in a former school, directly adjacent to the grave site, the visitor centre attracted nearly 80,000 visitors in its first year alone.
Today, it’s the second-most-visited ticketed attraction in Leicester – and is on course to welcome its 500,000th visitor this year.
“There were definitely some raised eyebrows back in 2012, when I suggested that the old Alderman Newton’s school next to the dig site would make a good visitor centre, if Richard III were to be found,” said City Mayor Peter Soulsby.
“At that time, we didn’t know for sure that the remains found by the archaeologists were those of the lost king, but the old school was for sale so we bought it – we couldn’t risk someone else buying it.
“Fortunately, confirmation that Richard III had indeed been found came a few weeks later, in February 2013.
“Having purchased the building, we were able to start work quickly on a state-of-the-art visitor centre that would tell the extraordinary story of the king in the car park – a story that attracted the interest of the world’s media and propelled Leicester onto a global stage.
“Ten years on, I’m proud to say that the visitor centre is going from strength to strength, with staff looking forward to welcoming their 500,000th visitor and with the discovery of King Richard III continuing to capture the imagination of people from all around the world.”
Thanks to the old school’s proximity to the council car park where the king’s remains were found, the shallow grave – where Richard III had lain since 1485 – could be incorporated into the new visitor centre.
While the grave where the king was hastily buried more than 500 years ago is a highlight for many visitors, new exhibits – such as the Greyfriars digital display, which reconstructs the 1485 burial site and illustrates the changes that have taken place there over the past 500 years (pictured) – are proving popular too.
Later this year, visitors will be able to see an updated reconstruction of the king’s head and – for the first time – will be able to hear how he may have sounded. The Voice for Richard project will give the king a voice that speaks to visitors in medieval English – and a face that moves and appears to breathe, thanks to CGI and motion capture software.
HRH The Duke of Gloucester – who is the patron of the Richard III Society – will formally mark the attraction’s 10th anniversary by visiting the centre in September.
More information about Leicester’s King Richard III Visitor Centre is available at kriii.com
Picture caption: City Mayor Peter Soulsby with the new Greyfriars digital display at the King Richard III Visitor Centre
Background note:
The search for King Richard III – which got under way in August 2012 – was initiated by Philippa Langley MBE of the Richard III Society and carried out in partnership with University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) and with the support of the city council.