A new sculpture trail exploring King Richard III’s final days and the Battle of Bosworth has just opened in Leicestershire.
Richard III, the last English king to die in battle, hit the headlines in 2012 when his body was found under a Leicester city centre car park. Three years later, his remains were reinterred at Leicester Cathedral.
Now, a decade on from his reinterment, and 540 years after the battle itself, you can explore the story along the 19-kilometre Bosworth 1485 Trail which begins and ends in the historic town of Market Bosworth.
Along the way, you’ll pass through Sutton Cheney, Ambion Hill, Fenn Lane, and Dadlington, soaking up the English countryside while passing by four sculptures designed from renowned artists Stephen Broadbent, Peter Davidson and Ade Wright.
The Calm Before the Storm, in St James Churchyard, Sutton Cheney, sees King Richard III depicted as kneeling in solemn contemplation, while The Storm Breaks, found at Fenn Lanes near Bosworth Battlefield, where he is believed to have launched his final, fatal cavalry charge, is meant to capture the chaos and uncertainty of the moment.
The Healing, found in the churchyard of St James the Greater Church in Dadlington, is meant to be a representation of grief, reconciliation and the long road to peace. The final sculpture, Piecing Together the Past, is a two-sided coin portraying Richard III and Henry VII, whose forces defeated King Richard III’s to become the first monarch of the House of Tudor following on from the Battle of Bosworth.
The latter is found in the courtyard of the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, where you can learn more about the Battle of Bosworth and medieval warfare in general.
Martin Peters, chief executive of Leicestershire Promotions, said, “We’re so excited about launching this unique new visitor attraction. In under a day you can experience a new walking route through some of the England’s most beautiful countryside while appreciating four very different art installations and immersing yourself in the story of the Battle of Bosworth.”
More information: visitleicester.info
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