The 3,000th visitor has been welcomed to De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)’s Heritage Centre, which celebrates the history of the university - Leicester's oldest higher education institution - and tells the story of this part of the city.
The centre, which opened in March, contains the two remaining arches of Leicester’s Church of the Annunciation, famous for being where the battle-scarred corpse of Richard III was put on public display following his death at Bosworth Field.
It is free to visit and is open to students, staff and members of the public to celebrate the rich history of DMU – first opened as the Leicester School of Art in 1870 – and its historic location, which developed during Roman settlement and expanded into a significant religious site in the 1300s.
Emma Donaldson, a life model, was the milestone visitor to the centre on Thursday. She said: “I am delighted to be the 3,000th visitor. I really do love history and culture, and while a lot of people complain that there are not enough things to see these days, I think it would be a real shame to walk past somewhere as interesting as this without coming in to have a look.
“The First World War is something that never ceases to make me emotional, and I found that exhibit in particular really interesting.”
The permanent displays are joined by temporary exhibits, some of which are created by DMU students. The Great War exhibition, which examines how the events of World War One impacted on the lives of Leicester Municipal Technical and Art School – a predecessor of DMU – is due to run until October, when two new displays will open.
Elizabeth Wheelband, Heritage Centre Co-ordinator, said the first will be called The Road to Reform, which will examine the evolution of British democracy, via the Magna Carta, Simon de Montfort’s first Parliament and the Reform Act of 1832. The second is a student gallery called Contemporary Protest, held in partnership with DMU’s Media Discourse Group. It will look at protests and social movements across Europe.
Katharine Short, DMU archivist, (pictured above, left, with 3,000th visitor Emma Donaldson) said: “We are really pleased that the centre continues to be popular and with such a wide range of visitors – we have even had a Brownie pack.
“A lot of people stay for an hour, read everything and have a good chat. It is everything we hoped for, and we are now thinking of running craft events and even concert recitals in this space.
“It’s all about making sure the centre is used by the whole community as it is a shared space that celebrates DMU’s place in the city.”
Posted on Friday 24 July 2015