The Dominicans first came to Leicester in 1247 establishing a priory at St Clements Church in the north western corner of the old city walls (see Blackfriars, Leicester) sometime in the reign of Henry III.

[1] The friars initially returned to Leicester in 1819 but the current priory wasn’t established until 1882.

The choir and transepts of the church was completed by 1931, and the High Altar was consecrated.

It was moved to the south side of the choir when the first part of the new church opened in 1931.

The replacement came from St Mary's Church in Preston, Lancashire, and was built by William Ebenezer Richardson in 1880.