New Walk is a promenade in the city of
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
which connects the areas around
Victoria Park (including
Stoneygate
Stoneygate is part of the City of Leicester, England.
Situated on the south-east side of the city some two miles from the centre, Stoneygate is a mainly residential suburb characterised by its large Victorian houses. It straddles the London Roa ...
,
Evington
Evington is an area of Leicester, and electoral ward of the Leicester district, in the ceremonial county of Leicestershire, England. It used to be a small village centred on Main Street and the Anglican church of St Denys but was close enoug ...
, and
Clarendon Park) to the city centre.
The promenade is a rare surviving example of a Georgian promenade. The walk is just under a mile long. A number of buildings sit along New Walk, including office buildings for the
Leicester Mercury
The ''Leicester Mercury'' is a British regional newspaper for the city of Leicester and the neighbouring counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The paper began in the 19th century as the ''Leicester Daily Mercury'' and later changed to its pre ...
,
Leicester Museum & Art Gallery
The Leicester Museum & Art Gallery (until 2020, New Walk Museum and Art Gallery) is a museum on New Walk in Leicester, England, not far from the city centre. It opened in 1849 as one of the first public museums in the United Kingdom. Leicest ...
, and
Holy Cross Priory.
History
The
Corporation of Leicester laid out the route in 1785. It is believed that an ancient Roman trackway called the Via Devana predated the promenade and that this trackway formed the basis for the route. The original plan for the route was to connect the area, which is now Welford Road, to the then-racecourse, which was later developed into Victoria Park. On its foundation, it was named Queen's Walk in honor of
Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...
. The new name was adopted later, at an unknown date.
Houses were built alongside New Walk for the first time in the 1820s. The houses were built at a distance, set by the corporation, of 'no less than 10 yards' from the path.
The promenade was solely for the use of pedestrians; no carriages were allowed to use New Walk. The route remains pedestrianized and is not open to vehicles of any kind. A number of controversies regarding the use of the promenade by cyclists have arisen in recent years.
References
External links
*
* {{Commons category-inline, New Walk, Leicester
History of Leicester