LEICESTER’S exciting new Roman visitor attraction is to open its doors to the public on Saturday 26 July.
In just three months’ time, people will be able to see how the remains of the Roman bath house at Jewry Wall have been incorporated into a contemporary museum, with more than 100 Roman artefacts – all discovered in Leicester and Leicestershire - and the latest digital technology helping to bring Leicester’s Roman past to life.
The Grade II listed building that housed the old museum and the former Vaughan College has been sensitively refurbished, with huge glass walls connecting the ancient Jewry Wall and the outdoor space with the modern exhibition space inside, and with a new pedestrian bridge from St Nicholas Circle making the building fully accessible for the first time.
Inside the museum, an immersive film will welcome visitors with a journey through the excavated areas of Roman Leicester, while interactive displays, games and projections will allow visitors to explore the 2nd century site, transporting them back in time to experience everyday life in Leicester as it was around 2,000 years ago.
Characterisations of the buildings and the people of Roman Leicester, created by artist Scott Tetlow, will help to animate the story, giving visitors an insight into the public and private lives of the residents of Ratae Corieltauvorum - the Roman name for the city of Leicester.
Managed by the same team responsible for the award-winning King Richard III Visitor Centre, the museum will also boast an attractive café - overlooking the remains of the Roman bath house – which will be open to the public every day, without the need to buy an admission ticket.
“It’s fair to say that this project has faced more than its fair share of challenges, with a global pandemic and not one but two key contractors going out of business during the construction phase, so I’m delighted that we can now – finally – look forward to the opening of this brilliant new attraction for Leicester,” said City Mayor Peter Soulsby.
“Everything that will be on display in the new museum has been discovered right here in Leicester and Leicestershire, from the Blackfriars Mosaic that’s been described as one of the finest mosaics found in Roman Britain, to a beautifully crafted bronze key handle that depicts a man grappling with a lion, uncovered by archaeologists right next to Jewry Wall on Great Central Street in 2016.
“The opening of the new museum on Saturday 26 July means that Leicester can finally shout about its Roman roots, offering visitors another must-see attraction in our historic city and making local people even more proud of Leicester’s extraordinary 2,000-year history.”
Admission tickets for Jewry Wall: A Real Roman Experience are now on sale at jewrywall.com, with the first visitors being welcomed at 10am on Saturday 26 July.
Standard ticket prices are as follows:
Adults (16+): £12.50
Concessions: £11.50
Children (5-15): £6.25
Family tickets: £32 (2 x adults + 2 x children)
Official carers and children under 5: free of charge
A joint ticket is also available for those who wish to visit both the Jewry Wall Museum and the King Richard III Visitor Centre, with adult tickets for both attractions costing £23 and a family ticket priced at £62.
All tickets provide visitors with a Roman Explorer Pass, which gives access to the museum for a whole year. Subject to conditions, people can book as many visits as they like in a 12-month period, enjoying special events and re-enactment activities without having to pay again.
More information about Jewry Wall: A Real Roman Experience is available at jewrywall.com
Anyone who is fascinated by Leicester’s Roman history doesn’t need to wait until July to find out more about the city’s past. Tomorrow (Saturday 26 April) and Sunday (27 April), Leicester’s historic centre will be transformed for the annual Old Town Festival, which this year has a Roman theme.
From 10am tomorrow (Saturday), visitors will be able to help recreate the entrance to Leicester’s long-gone Roman Forum in Jubilee Square, thanks to the genius of visual artist Olivier Grossetête, step back in time to a Roman living history camp, learn to march like a legionnaire, watch Roman soldiers parade through the streets of Ratae, and return on Sunday at 3pm to help demolish the spectacular cardboard Roman Forum.
More information about Leicester’s Old Town Festival is available at visitleicester.info
Picture caption: City Mayor Peter Soulsby studies the extraordinary Stibbe Mosaic, discovered beneath the former Stibbe knitwear factory by archaeologists from the University of Leicester in 2016/17. The mosaic is one of more than 100 stunning Roman artefacts, all discovered in Leicester and Leicestershire, that visitors will be able to see at the new Jewry Wall Museum.