Stoneleigh Village

Visit the idyllic village of Stoneleigh with its redbrick cottages. Stoneleigh is on the River Sowe, about 5 miles (8 km) south of Coventry and 5 miles (8 km) north of Leamington Spa. The village is situated about 600 yards (549 m) northeast of the confluence of the River Sowe and the River Avon.

Stoneleigh does not have a public house. All three were closed by Lord Leigh over 100 years ago, after his daughter was laughed at by drunks when she was going to church on a tricycle.

Stoneleigh village has a church called the Church of the Virgin Mary.

Nearby, is Stoneleigh Abbey with over 800 years of history. In 1154, it was founded by the Cistercians. From 1561 to 1990, it was the home of the Leigh family. In 1996, Lord John Piers Leigh transferred the ownership of Stoneleigh Abbey and its 690-acre (279 ha) grounds to a charitable trust. Between 1996 and 2000, it was extensively renovated with the help of grants, including a large grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Many famous people have connections with the Abbey; Charles I was entertained here when the gates of Coventry were closed against him, Jane Austen stayed at the Abbey and uses descriptions of its grand interiors and gardens in two of her novels, and in 1858 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed at Stoneleigh.

Stoneleigh Park (previously known as the National Agricultural Centre) is to the southwest of the village. Stoneleigh Park is an exhibition and conference centre which hosts, amongst many other annual events, the Royal Show, a huge national agricultural event and the Town and Country Festival. From 1991-2001 it hosted the Christian event "Stoneleigh Bible Week", hosted by Newfrontiers, in which up to 30,000 Christians from all over the world gathered for worship and teaching over a fortnight period with alternating weeks.

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