Historic county of England
Leicestershire
Leics
Soar valley through the centre, Charnwood rocks west, rolling pasture east.
Leicestershire lies close to the centre of England and is organised above all by the River Soar and the city of Leicester. The Soar runs northwards through the county towards the Trent; immediately west of it, Charnwood Forest rises into rougher ancient rock country; eastwards, the landscape opens into broad pasture and gently rolling farmland.
The north-west carries the legacy of coal mining and industry, while the eastern county around Melton has long been associated with livestock farming and hunting country. Leicester provides the dominant urban centre, but much of the county beyond it remains strongly rural. River, ancient upland, coalfield and pasture give Leicestershire considerably more variety than its central position suggests.
- Roman Leicester
- Established by 10th C
- Market towns, Roman roads
- Domesday: Hundreds
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
England and Wales Census 2021. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 1,286.1 people per sq mi (496.6 people per km²)
- Population
- 1,074,321
The Soar as the central line
The Soar links the southern county with Leicester and continues northwards through the lowland corridor towards the Trent.
Its valley became a natural route for settlement, transport and industry, while Leicester’s position on the river helped establish the city as the county’s dominant centre.
Ancient Charnwood
Immediately west of the Soar rises Charnwood Forest, a distinctive upland of exposed ancient rocks, wooded ground and rocky hills.
Its geology is dramatically different from much of surrounding Leicestershire. The contrast between Charnwood and the low Soar valley gives the centre of the county an unexpectedly strong physical structure.
Coalfield and pastoral east
North-west Leicestershire was transformed by coal mining, leaving towns and former industrial landscapes around the coalfield. East of Leicester the picture changes sharply into broad grazing country around Melton and the Leicestershire Wolds.
Industry and pastoral farming therefore occupy neighbouring parts of the same county rather than representing separate geographical identities.
County questions
Questions about Leicestershire
Is Leicester in Leicestershire?
Yes. Leicester is geographically in Leicestershire. Its separate local-authority arrangements do not remove the city from the county.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Leicester
- Alternative name
- Leics
- Earliest reference
- Domesday: Hundreds
Leicestershire and County of Leicester are forms of the same county name; Leics is the familiar abbreviation. The shire developed in the early medieval Midlands around Leicester and its surrounding territory.