GROUNDS OPENING TIMES

Closed Sunday 8th Sep Private function

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SUNDAY 11AM-5PM

MONDAY 11AM-5PM

TUESDAY 11AM-5PM

WEDNESDAY 11AM-5PM

THURSDAY 11AM-5PM

FRIDAY   CLOSED

SATURDAY  CLOSED

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The house is open by guided tour only.

Tours run throughout the day,

At 11.30am, 1pm and 2.30pm

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Last admission to grounds is 4pm

Only Assistance dogs are allowed

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Please check directions before setting off as some sat navs will take you to the wrong location

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NEXT EVENT:

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1st Dec - Winter Fair

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This has been a year of awards for Stoneleigh Abbey, winning Best alternative wedding venue in the Midland Asian wedding awards for the second consecutive year

In 2018 we celebrated the work of Humphry Repton, the last great landscape designer of the eighteenth century. Our exhibition of the great work he designed for Stoneleigh Abbey continues

so come along to see the Original Red book he prepared for the Leigh family, now completely digitised for you to view, and explore the landscape now restored

HISTORY

HOUSE & 

HISTORY TOUR

With humble beginnings as a Cistercian monastic house in 1154, Stoneleigh Abbey was converted at the Dissolution into a comfortable family home.  One of the seats of the Leigh family, Stoneleigh has played host to several people of note, including King Charles I, Queen Victoria, and novelist Jane Austen.  

The fine Grade 1 listed English Mansion House is comprised of two halves; the first, made of red sandstone, is a fine example of a Jacobean house, built from the ruins of the monastery.  The second, the West Wing, was designed by famous architect Francis Smith of Warwick in the Baroque style.  Visitors to the Abbey can learn more of the house's history through a guided tour of the West Wing.

Jane Austen &

Stoneleigh Abbey

 Stoneleigh Abbey was inherited by a relative of Jane Austen's mother, the Reverend Thomas Leigh. Jane Austen stayed with her mother in August 1806 as his guests. Many people feel that Stoneleigh Abbey was the model for Mansfield Park. But it is the reaction, of Jane's mother to the Abbey that is most interesting. During her visit with Jane she wrote a long letter to her daughter-in-law Mary detailing the house, the food, the servants. Learn more on our Jane Austen tours......

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REPTON WALK

In 1809, Humphry Repton, the most respected landscape gardener of his time, was invited to Stoneleigh Abbey by Reverend Thomas Leigh to advise him on updating the Abbey landscape.  Repton created one of his ‘Red Books’, a collection of watercolour images of the house and grounds as they existed with overlays to suggest alterations to the estate.  While not all of his suggestions were implemented, the result is a stunning natural landscape with superb views.  Enjoy the new Cordelia Leigh Bridge and walks along the Gazebo island, our Victorian Pump House has been restored .New for 2018 the Red book has now been completely digitised so you can see every page.

Dogs are not allowed in the grounds