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Secret LeicestershireEpisodes

  1. Wordsworth, the priory, and the ghost

    Grace Dieu Priory was used as a private house after the dissolution of the monasteries.

  2. Why Melton is famous for ‘Painting the Town Red’

    In 1837 the Marquis of Waterford and his friends wreaked havoc through Melton Mowbray.

  3. Why is Hancock's hat in Leicester?

    Tony Hancock’s famous hat and coat is held in the archive at De Montfort University.

  4. Why does Leicester have a Statue of Liberty?

    Leicester’s copy of the Statue of Liberty was made by local sculptor Joseph Morcom.

  5. What's it like inside Old John?

    Old John began life as a ruined folly during the time of the 5th Earl of Stamford.

  6. What lies beneath: The dungeon under Leicester Market

    The wealth of archaeological secrets revealed under Leicester's famous market place

  7. Were hot water bottle covers invented in Loughborough?

    Some first designs for hot water bottle covers originated from a family in Loughborough.

  8. The woman who gave birth to a cat

    A mysterious birth and a story of solidarity

  9. The secret tunnel under Leicester Royal Infirmary

    Leicester Royal Infirmary was founded as the Leicester Infirmary with 40 beds in 1771.

  10. The secret RAF base which foiled the Nazis

    The ‘Beambender’ was a vital WW2 RAF unit designed to foil Nazi bombing raids.

  11. The secret behind Leicestershire's very own angels

    The Belvoir angels etched in gravestones and found nowhere else in the world

  12. The oldest church in Leicester

    St Nicholas Church is over 1000 years old

  13. The notorious witches from Husbands Bosworth

    Nine women from Husbands Bosworth accused of witchcraft were executed in 1616.

  14. The mining innovation that changed the world

    The Newcomen engine was designed to pump water out of coal mines.

  15. The Leicestershire Mill saved from brink of ruin

    Hough Mill was a ruin when the Swannington Heritage Trust took it over in 1994.

  16. The Leicester Balloon Riot of 1864

    How did a huge hydrogen balloon cause a riot and chaos in Victoria Park?

  17. The last trams of Leicester

    The first tram route in Leicester was in 1874 from the Clock Tower to Belgrave.

  18. The hidden history of Loughborough’s Old Rectory

    From it’s medieval underbelly, to the ghosts and ‘haunted’ piano that call it home

  19. The Green Dragon Inn: an infamous murder

    16th May 1978 – a notorious day in Leicester’s history

  20. The gallows of Gallowtree Gate

    Gallowtree Gate was the road to the gallows where public executions were held.

  21. The Elizabethan manor house saved from demolition

    Narborough Hall was saved from the brink of ruin by two Leicestershire teachers.

  22. The creation of Leicester’s flamboyant Turkey Café

    The unique café created by a local architect and former mayor for the Leicester ladies

  23. The birthplace of coal mining in Leicestershire

    The earliest documented form of coal mining in Swannington dates back to around 1204.

  24. The Bilstone Gibbet Post: The Gruesome Truth

    One wooden post and it's connection to an infamous murder in 1801

  25. The ancient oak that gave ‘Gartree’ its name

    The Gartree was an ancient oak where jurors handed out justice and administered taxes.

  26. The 450-year-old love story in Sign Language

    The first recorded use of sign language in England at Leicester Cathedral

  27. The ‘lost’ pleasure gardens of Stonton Wyville

    Stonton Wyville has the remnants of a banqueting house with its own pleasure gardens.

  28. The ‘lost’ beacon on Beacon Hill

    Beacon Hill is the home of an ancient beacon.

  29. Rothley’s unbelievable Viking survivor

    Rothley’s Anglo-Saxon cross dates from around the time of the Vikings in the 9th century.

  30. Richard III's last resting place?

    The bed in which Richard III slept the night before the Battle of Bosworth exists today.

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