Over the castles 800-year history many powerful people have stayed here.  Simon De Montfort was a powerful man who inherited Leicester Castle and became the 6th Earl of Leicester in 1208. In 1264 Simon De Montfort led the Barons’ rebellion. He defeated King Henry III to become the uncrowned King Of England.

John of Gaunt, third son of King Edward III, inherited Leicester Castle in 1361. He was a solider, statesman and one of the richest men in England. He always liked Leicester Castle and made many improvements to it making it an extremely grand venue, he stayed here until his death in 1399.

Leicester Castle was also besieged, captured and ransacked during the English Civil War by the Royalist under the command of King Charles I and Prince Rupert in May 1645.

In 1821 the Great Hall was converted in courtrooms and used up until 1992, it was here where the trial took place for the famous Leicester’s Green Bicycle Murder.

Today it is home to Leicester Castle Business Castle, part of De Montfort University.

Built between 1580 – 1588 by the Willoughby family, this ancestral home and its inhabitants have bore witness to key periods in British history. With links to Lady Jane Grey the 9 – Day Queen, the English Civil War and World War II, this venue has many stories to tell.

There have been reported ghost sightings and paranormal occurrences for many years from staff who lived on site through to visitors and witnessed by the Haunted Heritage team.

This is a large venue with a great deal of history to work with, a perfect location for Haunted Heritage. The Team are very much looking forward to working with this venue and its ancestors.

Site of a former priory

Not a great deal is known about the building other than it was once owned by the Allyn family.

The current building can be dated back 1556 (Mary 1 Queen of England), however it was built on the site of a former priory which would have been part of the dissolution of the monasteries 1536-1541.

The surrounding area would have been a mix of coal mining and farming.

The foundations of this foundry can still be seen to this day on the grounds. The bridgehouse and the engine house were converted into dwellings and survived until the 1970s, when the buildings became so derelict that the engine house was demolished. The site was scheduled to become an ancient monument after pressure from Leicestershire Industrial History Society or LIHS. In 1981, the site was acquired by North West Leicestershire District Council and they sponsored a community project which was aimed to restore the site and develop it as a museum and country park. Today in 2019, the bridgehouse is now a museum run by the Moira Furnace Museum Trust, dedicated to the history and heritage of this once grand blast furnace.

In 1669, vast parts of the original Manor House were demolished to make way for a larger, more lavish extension, retaining of course, the Great Hall and Oak Room.
In 1845, Abington Manor was sold to a Londoner who leased out the Manor to Dr Octavius Pritchard who used the property as a mental asylum. It remained as an asylum until 1892. Conditions in the asylum are not believed to have been overly cruel or unpleasant, however it has been reported that during this time two patients hung themselves. The property further exchanged hands in 1897 when it was given to the people of Northampton. It has remained as a museum until present day