Leicestershire is a county in the East Midlands of England, and shares borders with Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland, as well as sharing a very short border with Staffordshire. Between 1974 and 1997, Rutland was designated as a part of Leicestershire, but its status as a separate county has since been reinstated. Leicester has traditionally been Leicestershire’s administrative capital; it is still part of the ceremonial county, but is now a unitary authority, and is the largest city in the East Midlands, being somewhat larger than Nottingham and Derby. Leicester is a historic city, and was founded by the Romans approximately 100 years after their initial invasion of the British Isles more than 2,000 years ago. During this era, Leicester – or Ratae Coritanorum as it was known – was an important settlement due to its location on the River Soar, and was positioned on the Fosse Way that connected Lincoln to Leicester, then on to Bath and Exeter via the Cotswolds.

During the Industrial Revolution Leicester’s industries flourished, and the city became an important centre for the production of ladies’ hosiery, shoes and boots, as well as for engineering. The building of the Grand Union Canal, which links London with Birmingham, heralded the beginning of Leicestershire’s industrial boom in the 19th century, but many of its traditional trades such as engineering and coal mining are now sadly extinct. 21st century Leicester is one of the UK’s most ethnically diverse cities, and is expected to soon become the first city where the collective ethnic minority population forms a majority.

There are several other towns of note in Leicestershire, including the university town of Loughborough, the curiously named Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and the bustling market town of Lutterworth – birthplace of jet engine pioneer Frank Whittle and close to the magnificent Stanford Hall stately home. Food is often associated with Leicestershire: in addition to the famous Red Leicester cheese and of course Melton Mowbray pork pies, the county is also believed to have been one of the first places in England to make Stilton cheese.

Leicestershire is home to a number of successful sports teams while the University of Loughborough is traditionally associated with sport. In recent years Leicester Tigers have been one of the most consistent performers in the English Rugby Premiership, while in cricket Leicestershire has won the Twenty20 Cup on multiple occasions since its inception. Finally, Leicester City football club has enjoyed spells in the top flight in the not too distant past.