The City Rooms (Leicester)
Encyclopedia
The City Rooms is located in the heart of the City
of Leicester
in England
. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a grade I listed building.
Outside in Hotel Street there is the statue of the Seamstress, although not intended to represent any particular person, it serves as a reminder of the importance the hosiery
industry once played in Leicester. The Seamstress is shown putting a seam into a stocking and was sculpted by James Butler
building, completed in 1800. It would have become Leicester's first hotel but was not completed and the building was sold in 1799 with £3,300 still needed to complete it, and opened as the Leicester Assembly Rooms in 1800 and used for the first time on 17 September to house the visitors to the Leicester Races held at Victoria Park, with the ground floor being used as a coffee house and the upper floors for wedding receptions, banquets and balls. In 1817 it was adapted to become the Judges Lodgings when it passed into the hands of the County Justices, then becoming known as the County Rooms. When it passed into the ownership of Leicester City Council it was renamed again, to The City Rooms.
The ballroom which runs the whole width of the building on the first floor is the centerpiece. Decorated with paintings by Ramsay Richard Reinagle
and figures in niches on the front of the building by John Charles Felix Rossi
, representing the comic and lyric muses.
In 2005 The City Rooms received a careful two year restoration to bring the building back to life. For the first time in over 200 years since work began, The City Rooms is now being used as first intended. Comprising three lavishly decorated meeting rooms, the grand ballroom, a bar and four luxurious bedrooms.
Leicester City Centre
Leicester City Centre is an area covering the core inner city area and central business district of the city of Leicester, England. It is roughly delineated from Leicester's suburbs by the A594, Leicester's inner ring road....
of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade I listed building.
Outside in Hotel Street there is the statue of the Seamstress, although not intended to represent any particular person, it serves as a reminder of the importance the hosiery
Hosiery
Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose...
industry once played in Leicester. The Seamstress is shown putting a seam into a stocking and was sculpted by James Butler
James Butler (artist)
James Walter Butler MBE RA is a British sculptor.Butler was educated at Maidstone Grammar School and studied art at St Martin's School of Art and the Royal College of Art. For 10 years he was a professional stone carver. He taught sculpture and drawing at the City and Guilds of London Art School...
History
The City Rooms is a GeorgianGeorgian era
The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...
building, completed in 1800. It would have become Leicester's first hotel but was not completed and the building was sold in 1799 with £3,300 still needed to complete it, and opened as the Leicester Assembly Rooms in 1800 and used for the first time on 17 September to house the visitors to the Leicester Races held at Victoria Park, with the ground floor being used as a coffee house and the upper floors for wedding receptions, banquets and balls. In 1817 it was adapted to become the Judges Lodgings when it passed into the hands of the County Justices, then becoming known as the County Rooms. When it passed into the ownership of Leicester City Council it was renamed again, to The City Rooms.
The ballroom which runs the whole width of the building on the first floor is the centerpiece. Decorated with paintings by Ramsay Richard Reinagle
Ramsay Richard Reinagle
Ramsay Richard Reinagle, was an English portrait, landscape, and animal painter, and son of Philip Reinagle.-Biography:...
and figures in niches on the front of the building by John Charles Felix Rossi
John Charles Felix Rossi
-Life:John Charles Felix Rossi was born at Nottingham on 8 March 1762. His father, an Italian from Siena, was a quack doctor at Nottingham, and afterwards at Mountsorrell, Leicestershire. Rossi was sent to the studio of Giovanni Battista Locatelli, an Italian sculptor working in London...
, representing the comic and lyric muses.
In 2005 The City Rooms received a careful two year restoration to bring the building back to life. For the first time in over 200 years since work began, The City Rooms is now being used as first intended. Comprising three lavishly decorated meeting rooms, the grand ballroom, a bar and four luxurious bedrooms.