Church helping bring in visitors

There's a nice article in the Leicester Mercury today about St Martin's House - which recently opened for business - and its contribution to the creation of a new "Heritage Quarter" for Leicester. This is an attractive part of the city centre, built up around the old Grammar School which has since relocated to Great Glen. It's a part of town that is largely unknown and underused. I know it pretty well because I lived in the West End of Leicester for four years and used to walk through this area into the city centre.

The pictutre above is a computer generated image, produced to raise interest in St Martin's House while it was still in development. I couldn't find a good "real" image of the building online that I could post here. This is an accurate rendering of how it looks now though.

I'm sure that this new development will be good for this area. But I have one question: what happened to the possessive apostrophe in "St Martin's"? It's in this article from the Mercury alright, but it's nowhere to be seen on the new building!

Church helping bring in visitors

In the latest in his series on Leicester's regeneration, Ian Griffin looks at work to create a Heritage Quarter

One of the most historic parts of Leicester is undergoing a renaissance.

St Martin's House, in Peacock Lane, opened this year after the £7 million renovation of the former grammar school site.

The office and conference complex has helped attract hundreds more visitors to the area – including the 14th century Guildhall and 11th century cathedral – which has been dubbed "the heritage quarter".

Now, the site's owner, the Anglican Diocese of Leicester, is looking to spend an additional £2 million revamping the ground near to the building.

But, like other developers in the city, it is being forced to find alternative ways of raising the cash after Government spending cuts.

Half of the funding for the second phase of the project was due to have come from East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA). However, this was lost following the announcement that EMDA was to close.

Rev Pete Hobson, director of St Martin's House, said: "We see it as a flagship project which can kick-start regeneration of the heritage quarter.

"This is a project costing some £7 million, which has come from benefactors, not the public sector.

"In terms of regeneration, it's a good story, but it's early days."

About £3 million of the funding for St Martin's came from millionaire businessmen David Wilson and David Samworth, with the rest coming from the diocese and fund-raising schemes.

Office rent and conference rooms and grand hall bookings mean St Martin's House will generate income for the diocese within two years.

In the second phase of the development project, the diocese is also planning to make the school playground and cathedral precincts into Cathedral Square.

Mr Hobson said he was looking at ways of raising cash, including approaching other potential benefactors.

Businesses said the new venue was a valuable addition to the area.

Celine Issitt, corporate account manager at Hotel Maiyango, in nearby St Nicholas Place, which runs corporate and wedding events at St Martin's House, said couples could get married at the historic Guildhall, before moving on to the former school for the reception.

"I think the regeneration of St Martin's House has contributed hugely to putting the stamp of 'heritage quarter' on this part of the city," she said.

"Obviously, the Guildhall and the cathedral have always been here.

"However, the attraction of St Martin's House has really brought an increased footfall to the area.

"It's a beautiful backdrop. People come in and see the grand hall at St Martin's and their jaw drops."

Stuart Bailey, chairman of Leicester Civic Society, said: "There's a tremendous amount of historic buildings in that area.

"Anything that attracts people into it is only going to be good. It will boost the economy of the area. This, in turn, will help further development."

Read this article on the Leicester Mercury website, along with reader comments:
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Church-helping-bring-visitors/article-3348822-detail/article.html

Find out more about St Martin's House and Cathedral Square:
http://cathedralsquare.dioceseofleicester.com/

CHURCH LEADERS UNVEIL PLANS TO TRANSFORM LEICESTER'S CATHEDRAL SQUARE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Church leaders unveil plans to transform Leicester's cathedral square

Church leaders have unveiled plans to turn an historic area into a public square.

About £1m will be spent creating a plaza outside Leicester Cathedral – one larger than Town Hall Square, with seating for 1,000 people.

It is the first phase of a £12m plan to develop the building and the area around it, which includes the former grounds of Leicester Grammar School.

The buildings were bought by the church in March 2008.

The square will form part of the Heritage Quarter being planned by the city council.

It will include the Magazine, Jewry Wall museum and Castle Gardens.

Plans have been submitted to the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England.

Pete Hobson, director of the project at the Diocese of Leicester, said: "It is one of the oldest areas of Leicester and it deserves attention.

"The work to the cathedral will involve flattening the mounds outside it and levelling the area to create a larger public space with greenery.

"However, it's only the first stage of the project and we are still developing it."

The commission, the body responsible for all Church of England cathedrals, will consider the plans next month.

Dean of Leicester Vivienne Faull said: "Leicester Cathedral is a little-known gem hidden away in our city.

"By developing the space in front of it in this way, we will not only be creating a safer and much more welcoming place, but also a space that can be used by both city and church for large gatherings of all sorts."

Developers have suggested a series of water features, including jets placed within the pavement and a Place Line – a memorial in the form of a pavement inlay, detailing the city's history.

All of the headstones in the area surrounding the cathedral would be removed.

However, the details would be recorded and an alternative memorial incorporated into the design.

Derek Hollingworth, vice-chairman of Leicester Civic Society, said: "It's a good idea and a step in the right direction.

"We need to conserve and restore as many parts of historic Leicester as we can.

"I knew something was in the pipeline for the historic quarter and now it's good to see someone has finally put pen to paper."

Developers said there would be the potential to create a performance stage.

The last phase of the development is expected to see the restoration of the inside of the cathedral and the development of the highways around the site.

Proposals for the former school, would see it transformed into the St Nicholas Centre.

This would house a dance studio, exhibition areas and conference halls.