United Kingdom · England · Leicester
Westcotes, Leicester — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Westcotes, also known as West End, is an inner city ward of Leicester just west of the centre across the River Soar.
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Where to stay in Westcotes
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
Narborough Road and Hinckley Road carry the shops, bars and restaurants that make this side of the river worth a bed. Westcotes covers only a few streets. Proximity to De Montfort University has made it a students' quarter, so what a visitor finds along Braunstone Gate is cheap eating and short walks rather than hotel frontage, with the city centre lying just over West Bridge.
Dane Hills lies further west.
Few places to stay in Westcotes — most visitors book in Leicester nearby.
About Westcotes
What are the main landmarks in Westcotes?
Norfolk Street Roman villa sits at the far end of the record. Church of the Martyrs, the Church of St Andrew, St Paul's Church and Holy Apostles Church give the ward its dedications, while the Leicester Friars of the Sack carries a name from the city's religious past. West Gates marks the old edge.
Everything else here is street frontage along Narborough Road.
What is the history of Westcotes?
West End is the other name it answers to. Westcotes reaches the record as an inner city area and an electoral ward of Leicester City Council, lying over the River Soar from the old town gates, which is where the Norfolk Street Roman villa and the Leicester Friars of the Sack place its deepest layers. De Montfort University came later.
The student trade it drew is what fills Braunstone Gate.
Where is Westcotes?
Westcotes covers a small patch west of the River Soar in Leicester, with Braunstone to the south, Dane Hills to the west and Narborough Road through the middle.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Westcotes?
Leicester: a hotel room in the centre with only West Bridge to cross.
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Updated September 2026