Leicester Travelodge on site of Richard III inn to commemorate link to history
The plaque, one of 10 that have been produced by Leicester City Council to mark a new medieval walking tour that retraces King Richard III last steps before he became the last English King to be killed in battle, will be officially unveiled by the Mayor of Leicester Peter Soulsby.
The walking tour starts at Leicester Central Travelodge on Highcross Street, the former location of the Blue Boar Inn, which then stood on a medieval high street. Built in the mid-15th century, the Blue Boar was one of Leicester's principal coaching inns. Today, the site is occupied by a 94-room Travelodge hotel which opened in 2004.
The walking tour then takes in some of the other key sites associated with the King Richard III story such as: Bow Bridge, where the King crossed to do battle, and Grey Friars, where King Richard III's body was famously found buried under a council car park.
The hotel is also hosting a book signing event on Wednesday 11 September. The book entitled Richard III: The Leicester Connection has been penned by David Baldwin, a former academic tutor at the University of Leicester.
Salman Mohammed, Leicester Central Travelodge hotel manager said: "We are very proud that our hotel has a place in Britain's history. Since the remains of King Richard III were discovered earlier this year, we have been inundated with enquiries from the public wanting to know what room King Richard III stayed in and requesting information on the Blue Boar Inn. We have had many tourists turning up to take a picture of our hotel too.
"It is such an honour to be the starting point of this new walking tour and to have a plaque on the outside wall of our hotel which details such a vital time in the story of King Richard III."