De Montfort Hall

The Hall has been host to many famous faces over the year including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Engelbert Humperdinck
The Philharmonia Orchestra say the Hall is one of the best places in which to play music in England
The hall cost £21,000 to build in 1913 which is around £1,000,000 today

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De Montfort Hall

“One of the few concert halls in Britain worth singing in”

Alderman Jonathan North was the driving force behind the decision to create a suitable venue for music in Leicester. It was necessary as up to this point the city had depended on Thomas Cook’s Temperance Hall on Granby Street. After a temporary building in Museum Square proved successful a permanent one was planned for Victoria Park.

Named after the sixth Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort, De Montfort Hall was the first purpose-built concert hall in Leicester. It was designed by local architect Mr Shirley Harrison and opened in July 1913. Praised for its fine acoustics, opera singer Louisa Tettrazini said, “There are only three halls in Britain worth singing in. One is in Glasgow, the Usher Hall in Edinburgh and this one”.

The Hall comprises a flexible auditorium that can be laid out in a number of different ways (tiered, standing, cabaret, dance floor etc.), with a 400 to 2,200 capacity, four bars and an outdoor amphitheatre with a capacity from 250 to 7,000. The Hall also houses an historic organ, which was donated by the industrialist Mr Alfred Corah and is the only surviving example of a large concert organ constructed by Leicester organ builders Stephen Taylor and Son Ltd. All the Corah firm’s employees were given the day off when it was presented to the Hall.

De Montfort Hall opening ceremony, July 1913

Concert Hall to Drill Hall

At first De Montfort Hall was mainly used as a concert venue, the first orchestra to play being the De Montfort Orchestra in September 1913. During the First World War the Hall was requisitioned for the war effort until 1919 when King George V and Queen Mary visited. After the war the venue returned to providing world-class musical performances, including concerts by the Leicester Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent. During the Second World War the Hall was again requisitioned, this time for use as a drill hall.

The Beatles at De Montfort Hall. Leicester Mercury

More stars than the sky!

From the Band of the 12th Lancers playing at its opening, De Montfort Hall has seen a host of orchestras, choirs, ballet, and opera companies. In the 1950s artists like Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra helped establish its reputation as a popular music venue. The 1960s saw The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Cilla Black and Leicester´s Engelbert Humperdinck perform. The 70s saw the Bee Gees, Beach Boys, Blondie, Genesis, The Jam and David Bowie on stage.

More recently Leicester’s own Kasabian have played here and a varied programming across all musical genres has ensured the popularity of the Hall well into the 21st century.

Find out how to visit.

Timeline

Early 20th Century Leicester

Visitor information

Public access

Gallery

Architectural plans for the Hall

A boxing match at De Montfort Hall, 1981

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Leicester Town Hall on stage

Sir Malcolm Sargent and the Leicester Symphony Orchestra, 1975

The opening day programme

The Hall during construction during 1912
Leicestershire Record Office

A collage of ticket stubs from performances at De Montfort Hall over the years
Leicestershire Record Office

The Beatles at De Montfort Hall
Leicester Mercury

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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The Blue Boar Inn

On Leicester’s medieval High Street (now Highcross Street), close to where a Travelodge stands today, there was once an elaborate timber-framed building known as the Blue Boar Inn. Here, by tradition, Richard III spent a final night or two before the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

Guild Hall Colton Street

The Guild Hall was opened in 1909 by the Leicester Guild of the Crippled to provide a social centre for people with physical disabilities. As well as being “beautiful and commodious”, this Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau style building was very practical, being an early example of a structure that had been purposely designed to be fully accessible.

Abbey Park Buildings

Local architect James Tait designed the park’s pavilion and lodges. The lodges at the Abbey Park Road entrance were built in 1881. The Grade II Slater Street lodge is built in the Tudor style.

City Rooms

This elegant Georgian building, completed in 1800, was originally intended to be Leicester´s first hotel, which is how Hotel Street got its name.

Silver Street and The Lanes

The area known as ‘The Lanes’ dates back to medieval Leicester with the street pattern remaining much the same for many centuries. Roughly following the ancient Roman road that connected the west and east gates of the town the street has had various names over the years but by 1587 it was known as Silver Street.

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