[citation needed] It is thought that the later medieval walls and gates were in approximately the same positions as the Roman ones, with the forum being where the modern inner ring road meets St Nicholas Circle.

[citation needed] A small section of the town wall can be seen in the churchyard of St Mary de Castro.

[citation needed] With increasing development, particularly in the 19th century, the focal point moved eastwards, with the Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower roundabout seeing the five-way junction of the London to Manchester, Birmingham to Yarmouth and Fosse Way roads.

[citation needed] Major chain stores can also be found on the pedestrianised Gallowtree Gate, running south-east from the clock tower, and which continues to the railway station as Granby Street.

To the south of the Shires and west of Gallowtree Gate is an area known as The Lanes consisting mostly of small independent shops.

[citation needed] Further south than this is the market, and then the civic centre (as mentioned above), which also features the main lending and reference libraries, and a number of shops, both chain and independent.

Regional and national coaches depart from St Margaret's Bus Station which was opened on 3 May 1985 and had a major refurbishment completed in March 2007.

[4] In late 2019, work started on a link road that would improve access between the two bus stations and allow for more pedestrianisation around the clock tower area.

In the City centre there is the Phoenix Square Digital Arts Centre, Midland Street, Leicester (which has a regular programme of art-house and world cinema), a Cinema De Lux, part of Highcross Leicester, and an Odeon at Freemen's Common, some way to the south.

The old Odeon building in Rutland Street was refurbished and opened in 2005 as the Leicester Athena, a conferencing and banqueting venue.

The LCB Depot opened in July 2004, and by the time of its first birthday had let 37 of 55 units, with talk starting of finding an additional site.

[8] Opposite the Athena, a new flagship £60 million Curve Theatre, Leicester, designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, started construction in 2005, on a site that has been long-disused.

[12] Since the pedestrianisation of the High Street in Leicester city centre many of the independent retail shops have moved into this regenerated area.

However, the recent economic downturn and the opening of the Highcross Centre have led to a higher than expected number of closures and an increase in Charity outlets.

[citation needed] Many housing association blocks, averaging 55 metres tall with 20 storeys, were also erected in various Council estates – four in Highfields, two in St Matthews and a further two in Rowlatts Hill.

The four residential blocks in St Matthews and Rowlatts Hill were vacated and demolished by Leicester City Council in 2001.

St Georges Tower was painted royal blue, turning it into a very distinctive local landmark, albeit one that attracted mass controversy due to its perceived ugliness and difference from the original architect's renders for the building's renovation.

The International Hotel has been an un-maintained eyesore for many years, and requires demolition or serious maintenance work as it is having a real impact on the image and success of the adjacent 'Cultural Quarter'.

The boundary then includes several streets west of the railway line but east of the ring-road as part of LE1, before meeting up with the roundabout again and then going inwards to exclude Humberstone Road from LE1 (as above).