Wender·Vista
Greyfriars, Leicester
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited Kingdom
in the city centre of Leicester, behind the cathedral

Greyfriars, Leicester

— the car park where a king turned up again.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“For centuries Greyfriars was the Franciscan friary of central medieval Leicester, dissolved in 1538 and built over so completely that its exact footprint was lost. In August 2012 a team from the University of Leicester opened a trench in a small council car park and, on the first day, found the skeleton of Richard III. He was re-interred at Leicester Cathedral in March 2015. The car park is now the King Richard III Visitor Centre.

from the studio
Greyfriars, Leicester
— bring it home

Greyfriars, Leicester, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Greyfriars, Leicester

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Greyfriars was the friary of the Order of Friars Minor in Leicester, founded in the thirteenth century and standing within the city's medieval core. Henry VIII's commissioners dissolved the house in 1538, and the buildings were demolished and sold off through the following decades. The street name Friar Lane preserved the memory, and the precinct was eventually built over with gardens, a school, and ultimately a small council car park behind St Martin's, now Leicester Cathedral. The site sits in the East Midlands, about a hundred miles north of London.

— the year

In August and September 2012, archaeologists from the University of Leicester, working with Leicester City Council and the Richard III Society, excavated three trenches in the Greyfriars car park. On the first day they exposed the skeleton later confirmed by DNA analysis as Richard III, killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and buried hastily in the friary choir. The identification was announced in February 2013. Richard III was re-interred at Leicester Cathedral, a few minutes' walk from where he was found, on March 26, 2015.

— the visit

The King Richard III Visitor Centre opened on the Greyfriars site in 2014 and preserves the grave cut beneath a glass floor. Leicester Cathedral, where the king now lies under a Swaledale stone slab, stands directly across the courtyard. The medieval Guildhall sits a short walk away. The centre is open most days of the week with timed tickets, and the cathedral remains an active parish church of the Church of England. The full circuit takes most visitors about two hours.

— where
United Kingdom · Leicester, England
— position
52.6342° N · 1.1378° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Leicester Cathedral
cathedral
at the lake
King Richard III Visitor Centre
museum
at the lake
Leicester Guildhall
medieval guildhall
1 km W
Jewry Wall
Roman ruin
1 km N
Highcross Leicester
shopping centre
N
Greyfriars, Leicester
Leicester Cathedral
King Richard III Visitor Centre
Leicester Guildhall
Jewry Wall
Highcross Leicester
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Greyfriars, Leicester — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Greyfriars was the medieval Franciscan friary of Leicester, founded in the thirteenth century and dissolved in 1538. The site became famous in 2012 as the burial place of Richard III.

A team from the University of Leicester, working with the Richard III Society and the city council, excavated a small council car park in August 2012 and located the skeleton on the first day.

He was re-interred at Leicester Cathedral on March 26, 2015, in a Swaledale fossil stone tomb a short walk from the site where his remains were found.

The King Richard III Visitor Centre opened on the Greyfriars site in 2014. The grave cut itself is preserved beneath a glass floor in the lower gallery.

In the centre of Leicester in the East Midlands of England, behind Leicester Cathedral and the medieval Guildhall, about a hundred miles north of London.

DNA from the skeleton was compared with samples from confirmed maternal-line descendants of Richard III's sister, Anne of York. The result was announced by the university in February 2013.

— about the piece in your home

For a Leicester native, a Ricardian, or someone shaped by English medieval history, Greyfriars carries a specific story. A Medium or Large with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The piece sits well in English Country, Library-Modern, and Dark Academia interiors. The stained-glass blues and stone tones pair with leather, walnut, and tartan without overpowering the room.

Yes. Dark Academia leans on medieval and ecclesiastical references, and Greyfriars carries both. A Large above a desk or a fireplace reads as the room's natural focal point.

A single Large reads from across the room; a 4-tile Mural fills a longer sofa wall; a 9-tile Mural anchors a library or study with the church and grave in full.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so steam and splash do not affect it.

Microfibre cloth and water. No solvents, no abrasive pads. For installed tile, the same care as any high-quality wall tile in a kitchen or bathroom.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is from a single studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, curated by Reid Wender. No licensing, no reseller editions, no third-party reproductions.

— if this one stayed with you

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