Newarke Houses Museum & Gardens

Newarke Houses Museum and Gardens incorporating the Museum of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment.

Newarke Houses Museum is composed of two historic houses, Wygston's Chantry House and Skeffington House and tells the story of contemporary Leicester and the history of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment.

The museum displays include a cinema experience, a collection of toys from Tudor to present day and a play area for children to try various games.

Find out more about Leicester’s famous son Daniel Lambert and visit a 1950s street scene inspired by Wharf Street that includes the Jolly Angler public house, a grocer and a pawnbroker, with sounds and conversations from the times.

Discover more about the story of Leicester at War. Through personal stories find out about the home front and the history of the Regiment, including a recreation of a First World War trench with sound and lighting.

Through oral histories, archive film, computer interactives and collections discover the histories of Newarke Houses, the surrounding historic area and contemporary Leicester.

The museum also offers a range of meeting rooms available for private hire, school visits, meetings and birthday parties. Find out more about our meeting rooms.

The refurbishment of the museum was funded by a £1 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant and a further £250,000 each from Leicester City Council and the Royal Leicestershire Regimental Association.

Exhibitions and events

The Royal Leicestershire Regiment Gallery

Permanent exhibition

Follow the story of The Royal Leicestershire Regiment reflecting on its many campaigns, individual acts of bravery and the every day life of a soldier. The gallery looks at Regimental life through...