Work has started on what will be a new world-class £4 million King Richard III Visitor Centre, thanks to public sector construction procurement specialists Scape and contractor Morgan Sindall.
The project, which is being delivered for Leicester City Council, will be based in the city. It will see the former Alderman Newton’s School on St Martin’s Place transformed into a state-of-the-art visitor centre that will tell the dramatic story of the king's life, his brutal death at Bosworth Field in 1485, and the fascinating rediscovery of his grave.
Morgan Sindall secured the contract through the East Midlands Property Alliance (empa) framework. Empa is managed by a local authority controlled company, Scape, and comprises local authorities across the region working together to improve the delivery of property services to their communities.
Head of empa Alan Coole said: “This is a project which will transform an existing landmark building into an outstanding visitor centre - attracting people from the whole country and from across the globe.
“There are many fantastic projects delivered by local authorities through the empa framework. This is a new centre which will stand tall as a flagship visitor attraction for the region of which Leicester City Council can be truly proud.”
The Victorian Gothic school building will be refurbished to create two floors of exhibition space and a new covered area allowing visitors access to the grave in which Richard's remains were discovered last summer. The project includes the construction of a new courtyard garden, glass entrance hall, viewing balcony, café and visitor entry from Peacock Lane.
Richard Fielding, area director for Morgan Sindall, said: “It is fantastic to be celebrating the start of work to construct this unique facility which will open up these globally significant historical finds to the public.
“King Richard III’s death marked the end of the Middle Ages and this is a tremendous archaeological find, which should provide a great boost to Leicester’s visitor economy. We’re looking forward to working closely with Leicester City Council as we transform this historic building into a state-of-the-art visitor centre capable of welcoming visitors from across the world.”
The centre is due to open in summer 2014. It is expected to attract 100,000 visitors and bring in over £4.5 million to the city's economy in its first year alone. The Morgan Sindall team has worked closely with the University of Leicester’s archaeological team to enable access to the site as the archeologists worked to uncover the fascinating mysteries hidden at the ancient burial ground. The year-long dig is now complete, allowing the construction team to set to work to transform the 150-year-old building into the new visitor centre.
The search for King Richard III was led by the University of Leicester, working with Leicester City Council and in association with the Richard III Society.
