Making Medieval Leicester Heritage Visible

In 2018, we took over the beautiful building of All Saints Church in Leicester and worked with the local community to see how we can bring the building into more use and share Leicester’s heritage through a series of events, exhibitions and publications. The Making Medieval Leicester’s Heritage Visible team and community volunteers created the publication below and also hosted talks by heritage specialists in the church.

All Saints Church lies at the heart of Leicester’s rich and fascinating Medieval history. From the interesting characters that have crossed its threshold to some unusual
architectural features, the church reveals much about Leicester’s history and how life has changed today.

All Saints dates from Norman times and was listed in the Doomsday Book – Britain’s earliest public record published in 1086. At the time it would have been an important and prominent place but is now tucked away in the centre of the city not far from the Highcross Shopping Centre.

This booklet brings the old and new together. Researched by a group of local volunteers with a passion for history, it gives us modern-day insights into the changing fabric of the church, its place within history and what life was like hundreds of years ago. The volunteers chose topics that sparked their interest and took part in project sessions with The University of Leicester and Leicestershire Record Office to explore original drawings, archival research, archaeological sources and historical literature. Leicester has a fantastic heritage and is full of intriguing stories to uncover. We hope you’ll feel inspired to explore All Saints and the surrounding area, discovering Leicester’s culture from the past and better understanding our place in it today.

This booklet was part of a larger programme of work delivered at All Saints by Art Reach in 2019 and 2020. The programme aimed to shine a light on All Saints’ incredible story through community plays, sound installations, concerts and art exhibitions.

We’re incredibly grateful to the local volunteers, cultural partners and heritage experts who contributed towards this booklet and hope it inspires a new wave of Leicester
residents and visitors to explore this unique heritage site and its surrounding area.

Our special thanks to:
Frankie Maguire, Beth Piggott
Angela Collins, Emma Williams
Carol Brown, Chris Sim
The Records Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland

Below you’ll also find an evaluation report from the project and its activities.

We would like to thank the National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Lottery Players and The Churches Conservation Trust for supporting the project.

Do you need help with your arts and heritage projects? Then contact Jo@artreach.org.uk to see how we can support you and your arts and heritage organisation.