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Chantry House and Skeffington House

George Shirley Harris, hosier, with companions, in the garden of no.9 The Newarke in 1867
  • The only surviving Elizabethan urban gentry house in Leicestershire
  • Chantry House dates from 1511
  • Clad in stucco (plaster) during the 18th Century to give it an elegant Georgian appearance

Two Tudor houses in the heart of modern Leicester

William Wigston´s Chantry House was added to the Newarke precinct around 1511. William Wigston was a wealthy Leicester wool merchant and town benefactor. The Chantry House was built as a home for two priests who said masses and prayers for the souls of the royal family and William Wigston himself. Around 1600 the Chantry House became a grand domestic residence.

Skeffington House

Built between 1560 and 1583, it’s the only surviving Elizabethan urban gentry house in Leicestershire. Thomas Skeffington, the house´s first owner, was Sheriff of Leicestershire at the time of the Spanish Armada. John Whatton, the house´s third owner and part of Charles I´s royal household, was on the Siege of Leicester committee during the English Civil War. The house, originally of rubble stone like the Chantry House, was much altered by its 18th-century owners. They built a brick extension and clad everything in stucco (plaster) to give it an elegant Georgian appearance.

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Chantry House with scaffolding after bomb damage during WWII

What remains of the two houses today?

Fortunately the Chantry House survived bomb damage during World War II and now both houses form Newarke Houses. Features of the original buildings and their past owners remain. William Wigston´s coat of arms and a partition wall survive inside the Chantry House. The elegant panelling and grand staircase added by William Wright to Skeffington House in the 18th century are also evident, as are his initials over the front gate.

Regimental gallery 03
The Regimental Gallery at Newarke Houses Museum

Newarke Houses

The two houses are now the home of Leicester’s social history and Royal Leicestershire Regiment museums.

The museum has extensive public gardens planted with a wide variety of flowers, shrubs and trees.

Discover the history of the Leicestershire Tigers Regiment, including a recreation of a First World War trench with sound and lighting. The museum displays include a cinema experience, a collection of toys from Tudor to present day and a play area for children to try various games. Find out more about Leicester’s famous son Daniel Lambert and visit a 1950s street scene inspired by Wharf Street, Leicester.

Find out how to visit.

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Tudor & Stuart Leicester
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Gallery

George Shirley Harris, hosier, with companions, in the garden of no.9 The Newarke in 1867 -
George Shirley Harris, hosier, with companions, in the garden of no.9 The Newarke in 1867
South wall of the Newarke in Mill Lane, viewed from inside the Newarke, 1870s. Gun ports and a blocked doorway can be clearly seen -
South wall of the Newarke in Mill Lane, viewed from inside the Newarke, 1870s. Gun ports and a blocked doorway can be clearly seen
Chantry House and Skeffington House with wall still standing, c.1910 -
Chantry House and Skeffington House with wall still standing, c.1910
The panelled room, 1920s -
The panelled room, 1920s
Newarke Houses -
Newarke Houses
Chimneys and brick extension to Skeffington House -
Chimneys and brick extension to Skeffington House
The Gardens at Newarke Houses -
The Gardens at Newarke Houses
Chantry House with scaffolding after bomb damage during WWII -
Chantry House with scaffolding after bomb damage during WWII

Roman Leicester

(47- 500) A military fort was erected, attracting traders and a growing civilian community to Leicester (known as Ratae Corieltauvorum to the Romans). The town steadily grew throughout the reign of the Romans.

Medieval Leicester

(500 – 1500) The early years of this period was one of unrest with Saxon, Danes and Norman invaders having their influences over the town. Later, of course, came Richard III and the final battle of the Wars of the Roses was fought on Leicester’s doorstep.

Tudor & Stuart Leicester

(1500 – 1700) The wool trade flourished in Leicester with one local, a former mayor named William Wigston, making his fortune. During the English Civil War a bloody battle was fought as the forces of King Charles I laid siege to the town.

Georgian Leicester

(1700 – 1837) The knitting industry had really stared to take hold and Leicester was fast becoming the main centre of hosiery manufacture in Britain. This new prosperity was reflected throughout the town with broader, paved streets lined with elegant brick buildings and genteel residences.

Victorian Leicester

(1837 – 1901) The industrial revolution had a huge effect on Leicester resulting in the population growing from 40,000 to 212,000 during this period. Many of Leicester's most iconic buildings were erected during this time as wealthy Victorians made their mark on the town.

Edwardian Leicester

(1901 – 1910) Electric trams came to the streets of Leicester and increased literacy among the citizens led to many becoming politicised. The famous 1905 ‘March of the Unemployed to London’ left from Leicester market when 30,000 people came to witness the historic event.

Early 20th Century Leicester

(1910 – 1973) The diverse industrial base meant Leicester was able to cope with the economic challenges of the 1920s and 1930s. New light engineering businesses, such as typewriter and scientific instrument making, complemented the more traditional industries of hosiery and footwear manufacturing.

Modern Leicester

(1973 – present day) Industry was still thriving in the city during the 1970s, with the work opportunities attracting many immigrants from all over the world. While industry has declined in recent years, excellent transport links have made Leicester an attractive centre for many businesses. The City now has much to be proud of including its sporting achievements and the richness of its cultural heritage and diversity.

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A Place to Live

Housing at Eyres Monsell

In 1950 the City Council approved the layout of the new Eyres Monsell housing estate on land purchased from Mrs Sybil Eyres-Monsell. The first two houses were completed in 1951 and another 470 in 1952.
YMCA Building

Work began on the building in 1899. The architect, YMCA president Alderman Albert Sawday, became Mayor of Leicester in 1903.
Wygston’s House

Wygston’s House is the oldest house in Leicester. It has been here since medieval times and the road it stood on was the widest and busiest thoroughfare in the town, High Street.
Former City Police Headquarters

In 1933 the City Police got a new purpose built headquarters in this building designed by G. Noel Hill and A.T. Gooseman of Leicester City Architects´ Department
Leicester Royal Infirmary

The Leicester Infirmary was established in 1771 with just 40 beds. In 1889 it opened its children’s ward and in 1912 King George V gave Royal status to the Infirmary. It is now a busy modern hospital, part of the NHS, serving Leicester and the surrounding area.
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