Leicester, anciently known as Legerceastre, is the county seat of
Leicestershire. Situated on the
Soar, it is 27 miles south of
Nottingham and 97 miles northwest of
London. The present city was built on the site of a Roman camp.
The city was one of the Danish "five burghs" and later formed part of the Kingdom of Wessex. It has several ancient churches, including St Nicholas, with a Norman tower.