Social scene: King Richard III Visitor Centre celebrated
The role that the award-winning Richard III Visitor Centre in Leicester has played in the city’s regeneration and economic growth was celebrated at an open evening, hosted by construction and infrastructure company, Morgan Sindall.
Since it opened its doors in 2014, the exhibition – entitled ‘Richard III: Dynasty, Death and Discovery’ – has told the history of the King’s life, his brutal death at Bosworth Field in 1485, and the fascinating rediscovery of his grave, to more than 160,000 visitors. It is credited with playing a major role in re-invigorating Leicestershire’s tourism industry, which has grown year-on-year since the centre opened and is now worth around £1.7bn to the county.
The event was also a celebration of the building itself, which was successfully delivered less than 18 months after the King’s remains were discovered. Designed by Maber architects and built by Morgan Sindall, the £4.5m building has won a number of regional and national awards, including being voted ‘Project of the Year’ by both Construction News and the Royal Institute of British Architects’ East Midlands branch.
More than 100 guests, including professionals from the construction industry, members of Leicester City Council and representatives from the East Midlands Property Alliance (empa) were given the chance to explore the exhibition.
The evening also saw speeches from Morgan Sindall’s East Midlands operations manager, Richard Frape, Leicester City Council (LCC) head of development projects, Louise Seymour and visitor centre director Iain Gordon; all three have played significant roles in the success of the project.
(L-R) Richard Fielding, Morgan Sindall area director; Louise Seymour, head of development projects, Leicester City Council; Richard Frape, Morgan Sindall operations manager; Iain Gordon, visitor centre director
Alison Ramsey, Scape frameworks coordinator; Victoria Bambrini, Scape managing director; Sean Bowles, Morgan Sindall managing director, Central region; Mark Jones, BWB service director
(L-R) Andy Lambert, Chris Hulme, Peter Connor, Jonathan Daly
Morgan Sindall Summer Event
Richard 111 Centre, Leicester
