Leicester is built upon the work of the innovators, entrepreneurs and
pioneers of past centuries. Henry Walker looked for a meat substitute
during rationing after the Second World War and created the world-famous
potato crisp brand. Another local man, Henry Curry, used metalworking
skills acquired maintaining steam engines to construct bicycles, and his
business would later become Curry's PC World. In this book, author
Stephen Butt celebrates the heritage, culture and identity of the city.
Leicester is the home of the UK's first mainland local radio station.
It's where Gary Lineker first kicked a ball, and Thomas Cook envisaged
worldwide holidays. It's where composer Sir Michael Tippett decided upon
a musical career and Sir David Attenborough found his calling as a
naturalist. The city's universities are at the forefront of research. Dr
Alec Jeffries pioneered DNA fingerprinting in the 1980s, and many
technologies combined to verify the remains of Richard III, discovered
under one of the city's car parks. The National Space Centre is at the
heart of the brand-new Leicester Space Park, which will be home to the
Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation. From Roman
engineering to space travel, there is much to celebrate in Leicester's
two-thousand-year history. Illustrated throughout, this engaging and
informative book will be of interest to residents, visitors and all
those with links to the city.
