42 Facts About Leicester

1.

Leicester is at the intersection of two railway lines: the Midland Main Line and the Birmingham to London Stansted Airport line.

FactSnippet No. 626,940
2.

List of British cities in the ninth-century History of the Britons includes one ; Leicester has been proposed as the place to which this refers .

FactSnippet No. 626,941
3.

Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, with a history going back at least two millennia.

FactSnippet No. 626,942
4.

The remains of the baths of Roman Leicester can be seen at the Jewry Wall; recovered artifacts are displayed at the adjacent museum.

FactSnippet No. 626,943
5.

The Saxon bishop, meanwhile, fled to Dorchester-on-Thames and Leicester did not become a bishopric again until the Church of became Leicester Cathedral in 1927.

FactSnippet No. 626,944
6.

Leicester justified his action as being "for the good of my soul, and for the souls of my ancestors and successors".

FactSnippet No. 626,945
7.

Leicester's Jews were allowed to move to the eastern suburbs, which were controlled by de Montfort's great-aunt and rival, Margaret, Countess of Winchester, after she took advice from the scholar and cleric Robert Grosseteste.

FactSnippet No. 626,946
8.

Corporation of Leicester opposed the efforts of Charles I to disafforest the nearby Leicester Forest, believing them to be likely to throw many of its residents into poverty and need of relief.

FactSnippet No. 626,947
9.

Leicester was a Parliamentarian stronghold during the English Civil War.

FactSnippet No. 626,948
10.

The first railway station in Leicester opened in 1832, in the form of the Leicester and Swannington Railway which provided a supply of coal to the town from nearby collieries.

FactSnippet No. 626,949
11.

Between 1861 and 1901, Leicester's population increased from to and the proportion employed in trade, commerce, building, and the city's new factories and workshops rose steadily.

FactSnippet No. 626,950
12.

Years of consistent economic growth meant living standards generally increased, but Leicester was a stronghold of Radicalism.

FactSnippet No. 626,951
13.

In 1866 another amending Act enabled the Corporation of Leicester to take shares in the company to enable another reservoir at Cropston, completed in 1870.

FactSnippet No. 626,952
14.

The Corporation of Leicester was later able to buy the waterworks and build another reservoir at Swithland, completed in the 1890s.

FactSnippet No. 626,953
15.

Leicester became a county borough in 1889, although it was abolished in 1974 as part of the Local Government Act, and was reformed as a non-metropolitan district and city.

FactSnippet No. 626,954
16.

Nonetheless, Leicester was finally recognised as a legal city once more in 1919 in recognition of its contribution to the British war effort.

FactSnippet No. 626,955
17.

In 1927, Leicester again became a cathedral city on the consecration of Church as the cathedral.

FactSnippet No. 626,956
18.

The Co-op became an important employer and landowner; when Leicester played host to the Jarrow March on its way to London in 1936, the Co-op provided the marchers with a change of boots.

FactSnippet No. 626,957
19.

Since World War II Leicester has experienced large scale immigration from across the world.

FactSnippet No. 626,958
20.

Leicester Multicultural Advisory Group is a forum, set up in 2001 by the editor of the Leicester Mercury, to co-ordinate community relations with members representing the council, police, schools, community and faith groups, and the media.

FactSnippet No. 626,959
21.

Leicester has been particularly badly affected in the United Kingdom; from July 2020 during the imposition of the first local lockdown which saw all non-essential retail closed again and businesses such as public houses, restaurants and hairdressers unable to reopen.

FactSnippet No. 626,960
22.

On 5 May 2011, the directly elected Mayor of Leicester role came into effect after the inaugural election.

FactSnippet No. 626,961
23.

Leicester is second only to Bristol as the largest unitary authority city in England, and ninth largest counting both unitary authority cities and cities within metropolitan counties.

FactSnippet No. 626,962
24.

Leicester is believed to be the birthplace of the modern standard English language.

FactSnippet No. 626,963
25.

Leicester has the second largest economy in the East Midlands, after Nottingham.

FactSnippet No. 626,964
26.

In 2017 Peter Soulsby, Mayor of Leicester called together 40 regulatory organisations to coordinate a response.

FactSnippet No. 626,965
27.

Leicester aimed to make sure that Leicester had the highest standards of employment; that workers are properly paid, well trained and work in safe environments, In 2020 the HSE was alerted to COVID-19 non-compliance.

FactSnippet No. 626,966
28.

Leicester was home to the famous Gents' of Leicester clock manufacturers.

FactSnippet No. 626,967
29.

Leicester Market is the largest outdoor covered market in Europe.

FactSnippet No. 626,968
30.

Central Leicester is the location for several department stores including John Lewis, Debenhams.

FactSnippet No. 626,969
31.

Golden Mile is the name given to a stretch of Belgrave Road renowned for its authentic Indian restaurants, sari shops, and jewellers; the Diwali celebrations in Leicester are focused on this area and are the largest outside the sub-continent.

FactSnippet No. 626,970
32.

Leicester Airport is a small airport, some 6 miles east of Leicester city centre; it does not operate scheduled services.

FactSnippet No. 626,971
33.

Leicester has two main bus stations: St Margarets and Haymarket, which was recommissioned in May 2016.

FactSnippet No. 626,972
34.

Leicester is home to a number of comprehensive schools and independent schools.

FactSnippet No. 626,973
35.

Leicester International Short Film Festival is an annual event; it commenced in 1996 under the banner title of "Seconds Out".

FactSnippet No. 626,974
36.

Leicester is the setting for the fictional diaries of Adrian Mole, created by Sue Townsend.

FactSnippet No. 626,975
37.

Leicester is the setting for Rod Duncan's novels, the Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire series and the Riot trilogy.

FactSnippet No. 626,976
38.

Leicester is the setting for the British children book series, The Sleepover Club, by authors Rose Impey, Narinder Dhami, Lorna Read, Fiona Cummings, Louis Catt, Sue Mongredien, Angie Bates, Ginny Deals, Harriet Castor and Jana Novotny Hunter.

FactSnippet No. 626,977
39.

Leicester Tigers have been the most successful English rugby union football club since the introduction of a league in 1987, winning it a record eleven times, five more than either Bath or Wasps.

FactSnippet No. 626,978
40.

Leicester Riders are the oldest professional basketball team in the country.

FactSnippet No. 626,979
41.

Leicester is home to the Leicester Mercury newspaper, and the Midlands Asian Television channel known as MATV Channel 6.

FactSnippet No. 626,980
42.

BBC Radio Leicester was the first BBC Local Radio station in Britain, opening on 8 November 1967.

FactSnippet No. 626,981