How to make the most of the King Richard III visitor centre, the story of the ‘King in the car park’, and the discovery and identification of his grave.
In 2012 the story of the ‘King under the car park’ took hold of Britain. King Richard III’s body had been found under a council car park in Leicester city centre. Archaeologists had put the chances of finding Richard III’s grave at about a million to one. Instead of a state burial he had been buried by in a friary church in 1485 and the true location of his grave had been lost to the mists of time. The archaeological dig would have to first find the site of the church, find the part of the church that he was buried in and then find his specific grave…..and then identify him……
This guide on visiting the King Richard III visitor centre will cover:
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The visitor centre for Richard III’s burial site
The visitor centre has been developed around Richard III’s burial site. Reflecting the humility of the grave site the visitor centre has a very unassuming entrance that you come across in an otherwise normal street in a pleasant part of Leicester town centre near its cathedral. It’s perfect to combine with other historical sites or some shopping as part of a day trip to Leicester.
The visitor centre is set over two floors with the ground floor covering the history of Richard III and the top floor covering the discovery of his grave, the archaeological dig and his identification.
Where to stay in Leicester
If you want to turn this day trip into a longer break and enjoy more of what Leicester has to offer then consider one of the following central hotels:
Know before you go
Ironically, given how central a car park is to the story, there is no car parking on site. However, Leicester city centre car parking is close by.
There are toilets and a simple café on site as well as a gift shop.
Where to eat in Leicester
In June 2024, Leicester was named Curry Capital of England. Leicester’s curry houses offer a huge diversity of South Asian food. Here are 11 of the best curry houses in Leicester.
Once you’re in the mood why not visit the Golden Mile, a street buzzing like an Indian bazaar with jewellery shops selling gold, emporiums stacked high with shimmering sarees, more restaurants and Indian grocer shops. This is also where you’ll find the biggest Diwali celebration outside of India.
The discovery of the grave of Richard III
A lady called Phillipa Langley became inspired by the story of Richard III whilst reading a book on holiday. As a result, finding his grave became her life’s focus and after lots of research she claims to have ‘felt’ his presence, standing on the painted letter R (for Richard) in a Leicester council car park (the R was actually R for ‘Reserved’ parking).
As you may have seen from depictions of Richard III he had scoliosis of the spine – throughout history he has often been depicted, incorrectly, as a hunchback. The skeleton found in the grave had a curved spine and also had severe head wounds and ‘humiliation wounds’ inflicted after his death. Carbon dating showed that the bones came from the correct period and, perhaps most incredibly, descendants from Richard III alive today donated DNA in order to enable the skeleton to be linked to his family line. I found this part of the visitor centre fascinating in terms of how archaeology was paired with modern techniques to reveal the secrets of the past.
A humble grave
At the end of the exhibition you can visitor a much quieter corner of the visitor centre which extends out into the council car park over the grave site. The site of King Richard III’s grave remains open to view through a glass floor which enables you to appreciate the very humble nature of his original burial. His remains were reinterred in a beautiful tomb at the heart of Leicester Cathedral, just opposite the visitor centre, in 2015.
Historical context of King Richard III death
We found the information on historical context at the start of the exhibition a bit impenetrable but I would urge you not to miss it out – I think the experience is richer for knowing it and, given that at the end of the visit you will see Richard III’s grave, I felt that it would be respectful to know a bit about his life and legacy. So to help you out here is a summary of the key historical context.
Summary of the War of the Roses and Battle of Bosworth
The English ruling family in the 1300-1400s went through a big family feud. There were two allegiances: the House of York symbolised by a white rose; and the House of Lancaster symbolised by a red rose. The feud subsequently became known as the War of the Roses.
Richard III was a York and was unlikely to ever become king. Eventually his brother became King Edward IV and, upon his brother’s death, even though he wasn’t an heir, Richard saw an opportunity to become king. He had been designated as Lord Protector for his brother’s son, the new child King Edward V, but instead of protecting him Richard got him sent to the Tower of London and thereby claimed the crown for himself.
Despite some very positive things about his reign – bringing in many reforms supporting justice and the rights of common people - the way in which he had come to power had created enemies. The War of the Roses wasn’t over and one day Henry Tudor, the last senior male in the House of Lancaster rallied support from those (both Lancastrian and York) who had taken umbrage at Richard IIIs rise to the throne. He brought an army to fight with Richard at the Battle of Bosworth, near present day Leicester. In this battle Richard III was killed. Richard III was given a low key burial in the friary church nearby.
Henry declared himself king and married Elizabeth of York (sister to the prince that had been sent to the Tower) bringing to an end the War of the Roses by uniting the Houses of York and Lancaster and forming what is known today as the Tudor rose which is used as the symbol of England. Richard’s death marked the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Tudor era which was to see a line of monarchs including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Richard III was also the last English King to die in battle.