Richard III: Tyrant or Misunderstood Monarch? A Year 13 Visit to Leicester

Firstly, we embarked on a riveting tour of the centre. Our lovely tour guide recapped key content from our Wars of the Roses module, which was extremely helpful for our upcoming exams! He then guided us around the fascinating exhibition detailing Richard’s last moments at Bosworth, where we debated the age-old question, “Who killed the Princes in the Tower?”

We were also treated to a fascinating account of the 2012 archaeological dig that uncovered Richard’s remains in the car park of Leicester's Social Services building. We learned about the wounds he sustained in battle, and how historians managed to find a DNA match with his descendants 500 years later. We saw a 3D reconstruction of his curved spine and discovered that, from his DNA, experts were even able to identify the type of diet he had - lots of fish! We finished the tour by seeing the actual grave plot where he had rested for 500 years. It was very moving.

After our interesting tour, we were given free time to explore the centre, and there was even time for some dressing up! Afterwards, we visited Leicester Cathedral, where we saw Richard’s final resting place. After a jam-packed historical morning, we enjoyed a delicious Italian meal that warmed us up in the arctic weather. We finished the trip with a visit to Leicester’s Guildhall and a much-needed sweet treat. We had a lovely time on our girls day out!

Thank you to Miss Glover for organising the trip and taking us; we really enjoyed it. 

Written by Layla M, Millia H, Louise Kand Emily A