The revamped Jewry Wall museum, a new Roman visitor attraction in Leicester, England, has set its opening date for 26 July.
For the new museum, the Grade II-listed building that housed the old museum and the former Vaughan College has been refurbished.
Glass walls connect the ancient Jewry Wall and the outdoor space with the exhibition areas inside, while a new pedestrian bridge from St Nicholas Circle has made the building fully accessible for the first time.
Also, the remains of a Roman bath house at Jewry Wall have been incorporated, with more than 100 Roman artefacts on view.
Inside the museum, the latest digital technology has been used to bring Leicester’s Roman past to life, including interactive displays, games and projections.
Additionally, an immersive film will welcome visitors with a journey through the excavated areas of Roman Leicester.
Immersive technologies at Jewry Wall
Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “It’s fair to say that this project has faced more than its fair share of challenges, with a global pandemic and not one but two key contractors going out of business during the construction phase, so I’m delighted that we can now – finally – look forward to the opening of this brilliant new attraction for Leicester.
“Everything that will be on display in the new museum has been discovered right here in Leicester and Leicestershire, from the Blackfriars mosaic that’s been described as one of the finest mosaics found in Roman Britain, to a beautifully crafted bronze key handle that depicts a man grappling with a lion, uncovered by archaeologists right next to Jewry Wall on Great Central Street in 2016.”
When the museum opens, Leicester “can finally shout about its Roman roots, offering visitors another must-see attraction in our historic city and making local people even more proud of Leicester’s extraordinary 2,000-year history”, he added.
The Jewry Wall museum is managed by the same team responsible for the award-winning King Richard III Visitor Centre.
The museum, which cost £16.8 million, will also offer a café overlooking the remains of the Roman bath house.
Images courtesy of Jewry Wall
