Visiting London for the Olympics is extremely exciting, but escaping the throng of masses of other travelers may be a bonus on the side. Less than a two-hour trip from London, Leicestershire is a page out of a history book, in the Midlands. It is loaded full of heritage sites of circumstances that are known worldwide. The Wars of the Roses was finished there in the final battle of Bosworth Battlefield near the small town of Market Bosworth in 1485. It was here that Henry VII emerged as king after the battle in which Richard III was killed. The start of the Tudor reign might be historically important enough to explore.
Jump to the future and see The National Space Centre in Leicester. It boasts the exhibit of an actual Soyuz spacecraft; the only one outside of the former Soviet Union. Opposite the space centre is The Abbey Pumping Station museum opened in 1891 to pump sewage to a treatment facility. The four steam engines are polished to the nines and in working order.
The remains of Ashby Castle from the twelfth century is known as the setting of the tournament in the book "Ivanhoe" by Sir Walter Scott. Count the ninety-eight steps to the top of the Hastings Tower. Explore the tunnel passageway between the kitchen basements and the tower. The fireplace of the Great Hall is still standing. Henry VII, Charles I and Mary, Queen of Scots all stayed in the castle. They probably stood by the fireplace.
A seven hundred year old manor house in exquisite condition is worth a trip. Donington le Heath Manor House Museum is near Coalville, and was once owned by one of the Gunpowder plotters. Everard Digby was in league with Guy Fawkes, and the gunpowder demonstration reinforces how serious the plot was. The house was "modernized" in 1618 and the 17th century gardens are manicured to perfection. The house is set up as it would have been in the Tudor period and reenactments make it come to life.
The Harborough Museum in Market Harborough houses some items from around 1 AD. The Romans came to Britain and left a few things behind. Over 5000 silver and gold coins, for instance, and a silver gilt helmet as well. It is being restored at the British Museum, but there is jewelry, too.
The list of interesting places is long, but Launde Abbey near Oakham is a must-see. The chapel is still in use from the original Augustinian priory of 1125 and with the same stained glass. The Elizabethan manor house, nearly new, from the 1500's, is beautiful and well maintained.
One other notable place that is totally representative of Leicestershire is the Melton Carnegie Museum in Melton Mowbray. The industries that made this area famous are the makers of Stilton cheese and pork pies. It doesn't get any more English than this, folks. The exhibits of both products must be seen. Thank Andrew Carnegie for building the library in 1905 so that this museum can exist in the space now.
If all of these deep, monumental and historically edifying experiences are overwhelming, snap back with a stop at the Fosse Shopping Park on the southern edge of Leicester in the Blaby district. There is a food court, after all. See Leicestershire and feel erudite.
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