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A History of Stoneleigh Abbey In PrintPublished in June 2004 Stoneleigh Abbey, The House, Its Owners, Its Lands is an unmissable read and an insight into the life of a West Midlands country estate from its establishment in mediaeval times through to the late nineteenth century. One of the most important country houses in the Midlands, Stoneleigh Abbey was, for four hundred years, the ancestral home of the Leigh family and before that was a thriving Cistercian monastery. The volume brings together ten essays by local leading scholars and experts who have worked on various aspects of Stoneleigh’s history. Four chapters outline the architectural evolution of the house from a mid-twelfth-century abbey to one of Warwickshire’s grandest country seats. Three chapters are devoted to the Leigh family who were first raised to the peerage in 1643: the first provides an overview of the family; the second a detailed study of two very contrasting nineteenth-century figures – Chandos Lord Leigh and his son, William Henry; the third discusses Jane Austen’s links with Stoneleigh. Austen was related to the Leigh family and visited Stoneleigh in 1806. The final three chapters concern the management and development of the estates and parks from their monastic origins to their transformation in the nineteenth century under the direction of Humphry Repton. Edited by Dr. Robert Bearman, the book is published in paperback by Stoneleigh Abbey Limited in association with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. This attractive volume measures 244 x 169mm and has 290 pages, 125 illustrations and a folding plan. Contributors: George Demidowicz, Hazel Fryer, Professor Andor Gomme, Norma Hampson, Gaye King, Mairi Macdonald, Dr. Richard K. Morris, Dr. Rochelle Ramey, Dr. Geoffrey Tyack and Dr. Andrew Watkins. Copies are priced at £12.95 (plus P&P where applicable) or by mail order from: The Shakespeare Bookshop email: bookshop@shakespeare.org.uk ISBN 0 904201 05 8 |
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