Richard III: From car park to cathedral
Following the fascinating discovery of his grave underneath a council car park in Leicester, King Richard III has finally received a formal reburial as of 26 March 2015. And, thanks to you, this unique slice of British history will be preserved and brought to life for years to come.
Richard, the last English king to die in battle, was killed at Bosworth Field in 1485, at the end of the War of the Roses. For 528 years his final resting place remained a mystery, but in 2012 a skeleton excavated from its less-than-stately concrete surroundings was confirmed to be the medieval monarch's.
In the week leading up to his reburial, thousands of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the procession transporting the king's remains past Bosworth Field and onto Leicester Cathedral, ready for his reburial service on Thursday 26 March.
A grant of £94,000, funded by lottery players like you, has gone towards developing a new exhibition centre at the cathedral devoted to Richard's life and death, funding the training of volunteers to take guided tours around Leicester Cathedral and producing guide books for visitors. This exhibition will also display the beautiful funeral pall that draped the king's coffin during the ceremonies.
In addition, just over £1 million was awarded to the Bosworth Battlefield Revitalisation Project – which discovered the site of the battle and rejuvenated the visitor centre there.
A further £1.1 million will fund further restoration of the buildings in the area around Leicester Cathedral.
All this will help to ensure as many people as possible can find out about the intriguing tale of a lost king, a car park and a royal reburial that was five centuries in the making.
From the archaeology under our feet to historic parks and rare wildlife, discover more about how National Lottery players are helping to protect and preserve UK heritage through the Heritage Lottery Fund.
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