Listing
Search the List

What is Listing?

Listing Guidance

Apply for Listing

Missing Pieces Project

Blue Plaque Scheme
Listing

Find out about listed buildings and other protected sites, and search the National Heritage List for England (NHLE).

Find out about listing

Terracotta tiles on the roof of Saintoft Lodge, Newton-on-Rawcliffe, Ryedale, North Yorkshire. Grade II listed © Historic England Archive DP371715
Advice
Climate Change

Heritage at Risk

Your Home

Technical Guidance

Planning

Caring for Heritage

Constructive Conservation
Advice

See our extensive range of expert advice to help you care for and protect historic places.

Get our advice

A contractor cutting bricks for the wall of the partially-restored wild and natural walled garden at Warley Place, Brentwood. Explore our technical advice section © Historic England Archive DP313199
Research
Our Research Strategy and Agenda

Research Governance

Latest Research

Research Methods

Current Research

Research Results

Support & Collaboration

Inclusive Heritage

Heritage Counts
Research

Discover and use our high-quality applied research to support the protection and management of the historic environment.

Discover our research

Archaeologist Dr David Neal discussing his illustration of the mosaic being excavated at Rutland Roman Villa with members of the University of Leicester Archaeological Services team View image DP264265 © Historic England
Images & Books
Find Photos

Search All Publications

Buy Books

The Historic England Archive
Images & Books

Historic England holds an extensive range of publications and historic collections in its public archive covering the historic environment.

Browse our collections

Children play with a doll and a pram on the cobbled Church Path in Queen Camel, Somerset, in April 1953. At the far end of the path is the tower of the Church of St Barnabas, which dates to the 14th century. Photographer: John Gay Image reference: AA091596 © Historic England Archive
Services & Skills
Education

Grants

Our Planning Services

Training & Skills

Archive Services

Heritage Action Zones

Levelling Up Places Service
Services & Skills

Find out about services offered by Historic England for funding, planning, education and research, as well as training and skill development.

Learn about our services

Heritage Apprentices in a training session on the Researching The Historic Environment module and training in Architectural Photography. Find out more about Heritage Apprenticeships © Historic England Archive DP347660
What's New
News

In Your Area

Historic England Blog

Latest Research

Heritage Online Debate

Statements

Stay up to Date
What's New

Read about our current news, projects and campaigns nationally and in your area.

Catch up with what's new

Two horsemen reading The Sportsman, 30 Oct 1902, Farnborough, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire. Part of the Alfred Newton and Sons collection. Source Historic England Archive. BB98/02592
About Us
What We Do

Who We Are

How We Are Funded

Contact Us

Careers

Volunteer with Historic England
About Us

Historic England is the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England's spectacular historic environment.

Find out more

Mountbatten House (formerly Gateway House), Basing View, Basingstoke, the former headquarters for the paper merchants Wiggins Teape by Arup Associates. Listed at Grade II. © Historic England
Sign in
Manage my account

Sign out

Leicester Central Library

Leicester Central Library, Bishop Street, Leicester, LE1 6AA

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1361373
Date first listed:: 14-Mar-1975
List Entry Name:: Leicester Central Library
Statutory Address:: Leicester Central Library, Bishop Street, Leicester, LE1 6AA

User submitted image — Uploaded by Historic England Archive This photo may not represent the current condition of the site
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.

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

Find out more about listing

Images of England Project

To view this image please use Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge.

Archive image, may not represent current condition of site.

Date:: 2002-06-04
Reference:: IOE01/06814/24
Rights:: © Mr Andy Haigh. Source: Historic England Archive

Historic England Archive

Search over 1 million photographs and drawings from the 1850s to the present day using our images archive.

Find Photos

Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1361373
Date first listed:: 14-Mar-1975
List Entry Name:: Leicester Central Library
Statutory Address 1:: Leicester Central Library, Bishop Street, Leicester, LE1 6AA

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: Leicester Central Library, Bishop Street, Leicester, LE1 6AA

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:: SK 58817 04266

Details

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment 23/11/2020

SK 5804 SE 3/216 BISHOP STREET Leicester Central Library

(Formerly listed as Reference Library)

GV II Dated 1904 Edward Burgess architect. Two tall storeys (part three storeys), attics and basement. Large red brick building with ashlar dressings. Mannered classical details. Tiled hipped roof. Modillion eaves cornice. Moulded string course. Ends project with quoined angles. Centre five large windows in moulded shouldered architraves with sill aprons, ground floor have segmental arches, first floor have alternating segmental and triangular broken pediments containing cartouche. Projecting left ashlar ground floor with two round arches. Ionic pilasters and entablature above two windows in moulded architraves with segmental pediments to first floor and round arch niche at centre, ashlar segmental pedimented dormer, small circular domed turret corbelled in angle of central recess. Right-hand projection, large first floor ashlar open pedimented window with Ionic pilasters and round-arch window with keyblock, altered segmental arch window below. Including basement area railings with arrow-head shafts and openwork iron stranchions.

Elevation facing Bowling Green Street, two storeys seven windows, irregular, but with similar details, and small domed turret, ashlar plinth.

All the listed buildings in Bishop Street together with The Town Hall, Fountain and War Memorial, Town Hall Square, and Nos 6-8, The Royal Hotel, Nos 17, 19 and 21 Horsefair Street form a group around Town Hall Square.

Listing NGR: SK5881704266

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: 188583
Legacy System:: LBS

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.