Leicester Guildhall

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The Guildhall

Leicester's Guildhall is a very old timber framed building, that once acted as the town hall for the city.

The building dates from the 15th century (parts are earlier), and is in the old walled city, on a street now known as Guildhall Lane. It was used first as the meeting place for the Guild of Corpus Christi, and then later for the more formal Corporation of Leicester. The hall was used for many purposes, including council meetings, feasts, as a courtroom, and for theatrical performances. It is reputed that William Shakespeare appeared here. In recognition of this, the television company, Maya Vision, brought the Royal Shakespeare Company to perform at the Guildhall as part of its 2003 series for the BBC, 'In Search of Shakespeare,' written and narrated by the historian, Michael Wood. Part of the Shakespeare legend is that Shakespeare first came across the tale of King Leir whilst appearing at the Guildhall and this inspired him to write his own play King Lear. There is, however, no actual evidence to support this, although the legend of King Leir is often associated with Leicester.

The Guildhall was retained in use until quite late. It was not until 1876 that the Corporation moved to the new Leicester Town Hall. It was later used as a police station and school, before becoming a museum. It is currently also used as a venue for musical performances.

The Guildhall is a Grade I Listed Building, and the surrounding area, also including the Cathedral of St Martin's, is a conservation area. [1]

The Guildhall is also reputed to be very haunted, and as such has appeared on various TV programmes, most notably being investigated on Living TV's 'Most Haunted'. Members of the public can also investigate the ghostly goings on at the Guildhall as it has become a popular place for several paranormal companies who hold overnight events there.