What sort of place is Leicester and how has it been shaped by its past? This book brings together an impressive amount of new historical research which seeks to answer this question, providing fresh interpretations of Leicester's history since 1800. The chapters analyse the events, changes and characteristics that have shaped the city and given it its distinctive identity. The sights, sounds and smells of the city in the 21st century are products of cumulative layers of history, layers which are peeled back by a specially assembled team of historians, all of whom have lived and worked in Leicester for many years.