A new temporary exhibition, charting the fascinating story behind the discovery of the remains of king Richard III, has opened in Leicester today (8 February).
Richard III: Leicester's Search for a King has been created by exhibition designers Mather & Co and has gone on show at Leicester's medieval Guildhall building.
Mather & Co only had four weeks to design, construct and install the exhibition, as well as incorporate brand new evidence as it was emerging, in order to take visitors through the discovery and process of identifying the skeleton.
It will allow visitors the chance to explore the historical and scientific evidence that has been gathered from the Greyfriars car park site and which culminated this week in confirmation that the skeleton is 'beyond reasonable doubt' that of the long-lost king.
Mather & Co's exhibition concept focuses on the relevance and connection of Richard III to Leicester, and brings together for the first time new evidence from historians, archaeologists and the very latest forensic science techniques including DNA bone analysis and carbon dating to give fresh insight into the life, death and burial of the king.
Visitors will be able to see an exact recreation of King Richard's battle-scarred skull, based on detailed scans of the original skull carried out by the University of Leicester, together with an interactive skeleton centrepiece.
There are also reconstructions, touch screen technology and a wealth of archaeological finds and evidence bringing to life medieval Leicester and King Richard's final days.
The discovery of the remains has already been hailed as the most exciting archaeological discovery of recent years.
Mather & Co's project director, Harvey Gardiner said: "The initial skeleton discovery and the subsequent confirmation of its identity have put Leicester and its heritage in the worldwide media spotlight.
"It has been a great privilege for our design team to be involved in this project which provides a very prompt local response to a hugely important international story."
