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west wing & chapel
Stoneleigh Abbey was inherited by Edward, the third Lord Leigh, in 1710. In the following year he went to Italy and returned full of ideas and enthusiasm to recreate at Stoneleigh something of the classical architecture that had impressed him on his tour – the result was the West Wing, an imposing Baroque structure. Edward chose Francis Smith of Warwick as his architect. Building began in 1720, and, by the time work was finished six years later, the final bill was more than £3,000. A portrait of the architect holding a pair of compasses still hangs in the Staircase Hall.
the saloon
The Saloon is one of the great interiors of Georgian England. It is decorated with magnificent Rococo plasterwork which adorns the walls and ceiling and depicts the Greek myth of the Labours of Hercules, culminating in the wonderful ceiling plaque of Hercules ascending to Mount Olympus.
the library
Chandos Leigh created the library out of the former state bedchamber and its closet, with two round arches cut through the separating wall. This satisfied his scholarly interests and created a ‘male domain’ of the kind deemed to be essential in the 1830’s. The beautiful bookcases are made of Coromandel – an unusual form of rosewood.
the chapel
The galleried chapel has a fine plasterwork ceiling by John Wright and a Crang organ dated 1761. There is strong evidence that this was the setting that Jane Austen based her description of the chapel at Sotherton Court in Mansfield Park, following her stay at Stoneleigh Abbey with her mother and sister in 1806.
other rooms within the west wing
The West Wing is rich with family history and find decor to explore: The Gilt Hall with some of Willement‘s armorial stained glass displayed in one of the windows, the Dining Room, Card Room, Blue Parlour and Morning Room, now furnished as Queen Victoria’s bedroom with the specially decorated white and gold furniture for the visit of the Queen and Prince Albert in 1858.
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English Ormolu cut-glass four Light Colza oil chandelier – early nineteenth century. Thought to be the one illustrated in a 1906 Country Life article and that the fittings were later changed. Shown below is the early picture with the chandelier in its original position in the library.
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| One of set of four Queen Anne ebonised, parcel-gilt and polychrome decorated side chairs – dating from circa 1710. Made for Stoneleigh, these chairs now form the earliest set at the Abbey. |
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Guides wearing period costume for the Jane Austen Tour in the lower part of the chapel.
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| Some of the china specially commissioned for the visit of Queen Victoria. |
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