Tel: 01926 858585
Web:  www.stoneleighabbey.org

Opening Times: 10am - 5pm

For guided tours of the interior rooms of the Abbey
(at 11am, 1pm and 3pm):
Adults £6.50 (one child free with every paying adult) Additional Children £3.00 & Senior Citizens £5.00

Jane Austen Tours
Every Sunday at 1pm and for pre-arranged group bookings:
per person £6.50 (sorry no concessions) More Information >>

Admission to the grounds (10am to 5pm):
per person £3.00

Car parking is free of charge.

Founded in 1154 by a group of Cistercian monks, Stoneleigh Abbey reflects a rich mix of more than 900 years of history. The estate was the home of the Leigh family from 1561 until the late twentieth century.

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.

The work of famous architects and artisans is displayed in Stoneleigh’s architecture and rooms. The mediaeval Gatehouse was built in 1346 and is one of a few in Britain which are still standing and complete. In 1720 Francis Smith of Warwick began work on the Great West Wing which is considered to be the masterpiece of this famous and prolific architect. The State Rooms of the West Wing boast some of the finest freehand three dimensional plasterwork to be seen anywhere. The Riding School (now the Banqueting Hall) and Stables, designed by C S Smith, is a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture.

Stoneleigh Abbey sits in 690 acres of parkland and gardens with the River Avon flowing through. Great landscape architects such as Repton and Nessfield have influenced the design and form of the land and created a beautiful backdrop for leisure and sport.

In December 1996 the ownership of Stoneleigh Abbey passed to a charitable trust who, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and the European Regional Development Fund, have in partnership with Warwick District Council repaired and restored the buildings of the Abbey. The masonry work required over 225 cubic metres (450 tonnes) of newly quarried stone for the facade of the West Wing alone .

Stoneleigh Abbey is open to the public from Good Friday to the end of October every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and Bank Holiday for guided tours at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Tour groups can be booked outside of those dates and times and are very welcome. Evening tours are available. Tours usually last about an hour and a half.
All of the State Rooms in the West Wing are accessible to disabled visitors by means of a lift.

There is a tea room which is open from 10am to 4pm serving light refreshments (contact 01926 858535).

Jane Austen Tours

2006 marks the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s stay at Stoneleigh Abbey. A series of special events (see events listing) will take place at the Abbey during the season which runs from Good Friday until the end of October.

For 400 years Stoneleigh Abbey was the country seat of Jane Austen’s relatives, the Leighs. In August 1806 Jane, with her mother and sister, travelled to Stoneleigh Abbey in the company of her mother’s cousin, Reverend Thomas Leigh, to secure his inheritance of the estate. During her stay Jane Austen was so inspired by the house, by its parkland and by its family intrigues that she wove descriptions of the interiors, views of the grounds and cameos of the family into her novels.

A printable pdf of the Jane Austin’s family connection to Stoneleigh Abbey is available from the Stoneleigh Abbey site www.stoneleighabbey.org/pdf/austentree.pdf