Leicester Cathedral Design Briefing for Reinterment of Richard lll

At 12 noon tomorrow,  Wednesday 13th March Leicester Cathedral will publish the Design Brief that will be given to the architects who have been selected to provide a scheme to reinter King Richard lll in an appropriate way.

 The date follows a meeting on 12th March at which the Cathedral Chapter will finalise the details of the brief including the recommendations of the Fabric Advisory Committee which met recently.

 The document will describe the place of the Cathedral in Leicester’s history and culture. It will outline some of the issues faced by the challenge of honouring a king within a space used by many people and for a variety services, and seek a solution to ensuring visitors will be able to see the resting place while allowing prayer and worship to continue.

The brief includes ideas currently being proposed and examples of the ways in which the tombs of monarchs and politicians are marked.

Canon Barry Naylor, Acting-Dean of the Cathedral, is delighted we can begin the process. “It’s been both a delight and a challenge to be asked to receive a king into the Cathedral. Since the announcement that he had been found thousands of people have come to see the existing memorial stone and to spend time in the Cathedral, and we know this will continue once he is reinterred. It is therefore vitally important that we take note of all aspects of Cathedral life now and in the foreseeable future in our plans.” The Revd Mandy Ford is Chair of the Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee. “This is the first step in the design and consultation process which leads to receive planning approval from the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England. We hope to complete this process within the next few months, such that we will be ready for spring next year”.

The University of Leicester led the Search for Richard III, working with Leicester City Council and in association with the Richard III Society. The Discovery of King Richard III’s remains in a Leicester car park  was confirmed by the University of Leicester  on 4 February, 2013,  and, as Licence holders, the University announced plans  for the reinterment at Leicester Cathedral on the same day.

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