The spire of Church of St Mary de Castro in the background. In the foreground is Leicester Castle south gateway, also known as the 'Turret Gateway', built in 1420, it led to the inner bailey of the Castle. Pass through and you follow in the footsteps of Geoffrey Chaucer and John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. John of Gaunt was a patron and close friend of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, most famously known for his work The Canterbury Tales. Near the end of their lives Lancaster and Chaucer became brothers-in-law through marriage. Chaucer married Philippa de Roet in 1366, and Lancaster took his mistress of nearly 30 years, Katherine Swynford (de Roet), who was Philippa Chaucer's sister, as his third wife in 1396. Although Philippa died in 1387, the men were bound as brothers and Lancaster's children by Katherine - John, Henry, Thomas and Joan Beaufort - were Chaucer's nephews and neice.

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