
Stoneleigh, or Stoneleigh-in-Arden, is a small village in
Warwickshire, England, on the
River Sowe, situated 4.5 miles (7.25 km) south of
Coventry and 5.5 miles (9 km) north of
Leamington Spa. The population taken at the
2011 census was 3,636. The village is about northeast of the
confluence of the River Sowe and the
River Avon. The village's church is dedicated to the
Virgin Mary. Stoneleigh has no
public house
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
: all three were closed by
Lord Leigh more than 100 years ago, after his daughter was laughed at by drunks when she was going to church on a tricycle. However it has a
social club, which meets in the evenings on Vicarage Road.
Stoneleigh was the site of the most destructive
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
of the record-breaking
nationwide tornado outbreak of 23 November 1981. The second-strongest tornado of the outbreak, rated as an F2/T4 tornado, passed through Stoneleigh and the surrounding areas at around 14:00 local time, causing severe damage including the complete destruction of a static caravan park and damage to residential buildings.
Stoneleigh Abbey
Stoneleigh Abbey is to the southwest of the village of Stoneleigh. It was founded in 1154 by the
Cistercians. From 1561 to 1990 it was the home of the
Leigh family. In 1996,
The Rt Hon. John, 5th Baron Leigh (1935–2003), transferred ownership of Stoneleigh Abbey and its 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. Within the grounds of the Abbey are two groups of houses built by
Charles Church in 2002, named Grovehurst Park and The Cunnery. A row of old workers' cottages,
Rectory Cottages, were totally renovated in the same year.
Stoneleigh Park
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 used to host, amongst many other annual events, the
Royal Show, a huge national agricultural event, and the Town and Country Festival. From 1991 to 2001 it hosted the
Newfrontiers "Stoneleigh Bible Week", when up to 30,000
Christians from all over the world gathered for worship and teaching over a fortnight with alternating weeks.
Notable people
*
Geoffrey Edmunds (born 1954), cricketer
References
External links
Stoneleigh Village WebsiteStoneleigh ParkStoneleigh AbbeyPhotos of Stoneleigh
Villages in Warwickshire
{{Warwickshire-geo-stub