Guildhall to mark 100 years since being saved

A medieval landmark in the heart of Leicester is set to celebrate 100 years since it was saved from demolition.

A free day of events - including medieval music and historical re-enactments - is being held on 4 May at the Guildhall in Leicester.

The timber-framed building, in the shadow of the city's cathedral, dates from 1390 and was set up as a meeting place - and banqueting hall - for members of the Guild of Corpus Christi.

While the site later passed from the business community to local government use and became the city's first Town Hall in 1563, as the 20th Century approached it was too small to service a growing city and faced an uncertain future.

In 1876, the Leicester Corporation - which operated the city's transport services and had used the site since 1495 - met for the final time as a new Town Hall had been built in the city.

The Guildhall fell into a state of disrepair, with calls for it to be demolished, but the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society petitioned the council to save the building and in 1922, a major programme of restoration began.

Years later, on 19 May 1926, the Guildhall opened to the public as a museum.

Assistant city mayor Vi Dempster said it was "hard to imagine" that the now Grade I-listed building could have been lost.

She said: "Thanks to the efforts of the Leicester Archaeological and Historical Society and the determination of city councillors more than a hundred years ago, the building was saved.

"Today, it's one of the best-preserved medieval buildings in the country and one of the finest surviving timber-framed halls in the city."

To celebrate its centenary as a museum - which attracts more than 66,000 visitors a year - the Guildhall will host a day of activities, performances and hands-on history on Monday, from 11:00 to 15:00 BST.

There will be maypole dancing in the courtyard, and live performances of medieval music by Damien Clark on the hammered dulcimer.

Re-enactment group Redcoats and Revolutionaries "will bring history to life with their period costumes and artillery displays", the city council said, and there will also be arts and crafts activities, and face painting for a "small charge".

Following the open day, ceilidh band 3Around3 will host a ticketed dance from 16:00 in the Great Hall.

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