Event Details – Leicester Museums

Event Description

Leicester is a city layered with stories

Hidden Histories: Guided Walks of Leicester

Leicester is a city layered with stories. Some celebrated, some forgotten, many hiding in plain sight. Hidden Histories is a new programme of guided walks launching this April, inviting you to step off the main streets and uncover the people, places and moments that shaped the city we know today.

Led by knowledgeable and engaging guides, these walks explore Leicester’s rich and often surprising past, from its pre-Roman origins to its vibrant 20th-century subcultures. Whether you’re a lifelong local or seeing the city with fresh eyes, Hidden Histories reveals Leicester as you’ve never experienced it before.

Our programme will cover a wide range of themes, including:

Roman Leicester – explore the rise and fall of Roman Britain through the eyes of the citizens of Ratae Corieltauvorum

The Civil War Siege of Leicester – discover conflict, rebellion and survival in a city under attack and Leicester’s pivotal role in the demise of King Charles I

Mediaeval Leicester – uncover stories of guilds, markets, power and everyday life in the Middle Ages

Richard III – the king, the myths, and the place where history took an unexpected turn, in both the 15th and 21st centuries.

Historic Pubs – stories of drink, dissent, music and community behind familiar façades

Leicester Mods and the 1960s Music Scene – sharp suits, scooters and the sounds that defined a generation

Ghost Walks – darker tales, strange encounters and the city after dark

Each walk combines historical research, storytelling and a strong sense of place, bringing Leicester’s hidden histories to life on the streets where they happened. Expect fascinating facts, overlooked details, and stories that connect past lives to the modern city around you.

Whether you’re interested in ancient history, social change, music, nightlife or the paranormal, Hidden Histories offers a new way to explore Leicester, one walk at a time.

Your Guides

Jim Butler is the creator, writer and producer of the popular 'Hidden Histories of Leicester’ series on YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. He writes and leads guided tours around the city covering a broad range of historical topics, drawing on his life-long love of Leicester’s rich culture and heritage and over 25 years’ experience of communicating its amazing history to all ages and backgrounds.

Shaun Knapp is the author of High Flying Around (I & II) and Mods: Two City Connection. He was also co-curator of the Mods: Shaping a Generation and Punk: Rage and Revolution exhibitions which were recently held at Leicester Museum. Shaun previously worked for the museum service, helped establish the guided walks program for Leicester and has first-hand experience of strange ghostly happenings, hauntings and occurrences within Leicester City Centre.