The tomb of King Richard III was revealed today by performers from Curve theatre at a special ceremony at Leicester Cathedral.
The giant 2.3 tonne tomb is made from Kilkenny limestone from Ireland and Swaledale fossil from North Yorkshire and was created by stonemason James Elliot. The tomb’s base is inscribed with Richard’s name, date and royal coat of arms. It incorporates a deeply sunken cross so that when the sun rises, the light spills through it.
A large queue formed outside the cathedral prior to it opening to the public at 3pm to see King Richard’s final resting place,
The remains of King Richard III were found in a council car park in Leicester in 2012.
Around 35,000 people lined the streets in Leicester and Leicestershire on Sunday to catch a glimpse of the cortège carrying the remains of the former king of England as it made its way from the University of Leicester to Leicester Cathedral.
From Sunday to Wednesday thousands of people from all over the world paid their respects.
On Thursday his remains were finally laid laid to rest at a reinterment service at Leicester Cathedral.
A special fire and light installation of 8,000 flames will be lit in the area around Leicester cathedral this evening with fireworks taking place from 8pm.
