The High Cross
Jubilee Square, Leicester, LE1 5YP
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1184956
- Date first listed:
- 25-Feb-1955
- List Entry Name:
- The High Cross
- Statutory Address:
- Jubilee Square, Leicester, LE1 5YP
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2001-06-30
- Reference:
- IOE01/05245/18
- Rights:
- © Mr Brian Arnold. Source: Historic England Archive
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1184956
- Date first listed:
- 25-Feb-1955
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 14-Dec-2021
- List Entry Name:
- The High Cross
- Statutory Address 1:
- Jubilee Square, Leicester, LE1 5YP
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Jubilee Square, Leicester, LE1 5YP
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- City of Leicester (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SK5838804499
Summary
A C16 Tuscan column, with C21 ball finial and cross.
Reasons for Designation
The High Cross, Leicester is listed for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as an important survival from the city’s C16 covered market building, once at the heart of post-medieval Leicester;
* despite some restoration following damage in 2015 the cross retains a significant proportion of its historic fabric.
History
Leicester High Cross was originally one of eight columns supporting a domed building at the junction of High Street and Highcross Street, in the medieval heart of the city. The building, also known as High Cross, was constructed in 1577 to provide shelter for market traders but by 1773 the structure was in poor condition and was demolished to allow greater room for carriages to pass.
One column from the building was saved and re-erected in isolation, initially in the location of the demolished building. It was moved in 1836 to stand at The Crescent on King Street. It was subsequently moved again, in the C20, to a residential garden, before moving to the rear of Newarke Houses Museum.
In the late-C20 the column was relocated to Market Place and stood there until 2014 when it was moved to its current position in Jubilee Square, close to the location of the original High Cross covered market building. During this final relocation, the column was mounted on a new plinth, with three stepped base below.
In 2015 the ball finial and cross which stood at the top of the column were damaged during construction works. The finial and cross were later additions to the C16 column and appear to be replicas of the finial and cross which originally topped the High Cross covered market. A new ball finial was subsequently installed, with the gilded cross repaired and reattached.
Details
A C16 Tuscan column, with C21 ball finial and cross.
MATERIALS: constructed of limestone with gilded cross.
DESCRIPTION: a Tuscan column with plinth standing on a three-stepped base. A ball finial stands above the column and supports a gilded Latin cross pattée.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 188748
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Websites
Leicester High Cross, accessed 30 July 2020 from https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/leicestershire/leicester/high-cross.htm
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 17-Jun-2026 at 17:28:32.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.