It’s hard to believe that it’s been 8 years since thousands of people lined the streets of Leicester to see King Richard III’s coffin.
Now, to celebrate English Tourism Week and the anniversary of the reinterment of King Richard III, the King Richard III Visitor Centre is offering free entry to visitors from 10am to 3pm on Sunday 26 March 2023.
Admission is normally £10 for adults, £5 for children and £9 for concessions.
Eight years ago on 23 March 2015, thousands of people began queuing to see King Richard III’s coffin as it lay in state at Leicester Cathedral prior to the reinterment ceremony three days later.
The day before (22 March), the world’s press focused on Leicester as millions of viewers watched thousands of people come on to the streets to pay their respects. They threw white roses atop the coffin, as the medieval King’s remains passed by on a ceremonial journey from the University of Leicester via the Bosworth Battlefield and the villages of Leicestershire, to arrive at Leicester Cathedral for a Service of Compline, followed by three days lying in state.
This Sunday, 26 March 2023 will be the eighth anniversary of King Richard III’s reinterment (when he was reburied) at Leicester Cathedral. The Cathedral is currently closed for a £12.7 million restoration and transformation project called ‘Leicester Cathedral Revealed’, but to celebrate this major anniversary, King Richard III Visitor Centre will be free of charge on Sunday 26 March, the last day of English Tourism Week 2023.
Mike Denby, Director of Inward Investment and Place Marketing at Visit Leicester said: “The King Richard III Visitor Centre encapsulates the amazing story of the discovery of a lost King in a Leicester car park. It captured the interest of the whole world and to coincide with this anniversary, people are getting an exclusive chance to see it all for free on 26 March.”
The King Richard III Visitor Centre allows limited numbers of visitors to enter every half an hour, from 10am until 3pm, to ensure that all visitors have an award-winning experience. There may be some queuing on the day and late entry on the day may not be guaranteed.
The King Richard III Visitor Centre is located at 4a St Martin’s, opposite Leicester Cathedral.
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