An ancient church “in desperate need of some TLC” is finally set for a revamp after the building, one of the city’s oldest, began crumbling onto the road below. 

An application has been lodged with Leicester City Council to undertake external repairs to All Saints Church on Highcross Street. 

The Grade-I listed site dates as far back as the 11th century, when it was mentioned in the Domesday Book, but closed its doors to worshippers in the 1980s. 

More recently, the church hosted an immersive Van Gogh experience, but the stone began falling from the West side of the church onto the road below in October 2024. 

A fabric condition survey of the whole church in January 2026 revealed the church is in “poor condition” and a “reasonably urgent” programme of masonry repairs is needed. 

According to planning documents, The Churches Conservation Trust will address these structural issues in the proposed scheme, as well as making minor alterations to protect other aspects of the building. 

Jim Butler, county council heritage worker and face of the Hidden Histories of Leicester YouTube channel, said he welcomed the project. 

He said: “It’s one of Leicester’s oldest surviving buildings. All Saints Church was literally at the heart of the medieval town and everyone in the town would have worshipped there at some point.

“It’s safe to say that if Richard III were to come back to Leicester today, it’s probably one of the last things that he would actually recognise. He would have passed All Saints Church on his way into Leicester before he then headed off to the Battle of Bosworth. 

“It had quite a number of roles across its history, and it was actually used as a law court to try Marjorie Kemp for heresy in 1418. 

“All Saints is a thriving church for the best part of a thousand years but it starts to wane in the 1960s after the ring road was put in.

“As all those hosiery factories start to close down and the terraced housing around them starts to become dilapidated, the congregation shrinks to the point where there’s no people going to the church. 

“It’s in desperate need of some TLC, let’s put it that way. 

“Leicester has a phenomenal history and heritage, but we don’t do that great of a job at showing it off and therefore we kind of fall off the historic trail. 

“The more we can do to save buildings like All Saints and our other historical assets, the more we can not only entice tourists and trade into the city, but actually help develop a sense of pride within the residents about how great Leicester really is.”

The council has set a target decision date for the application of July 17. 

By Caitlin James (Local Democracy Reporter)