Stoneleigh is a small village in
WarwickshireWarwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton in the far north of the county. The shape of the administrative area Warwickshire differs considerably from that of the historic county...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on the
River SoweThe River Sowe is a River in Warwickshire and West Midlands, England. It is a tributary of the River Avon, and flows into it just south of Stoneleigh....
. Stoneleigh is located about 5 miles (8 km) south of
CoventryCoventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham with a population of 300,848...
and 5 miles (8 km) north of
Leamington SpaLeamington Spa, properly Royal Leamington Spa, commonly Leamington or "Leam" to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr...
. The village is situated about northeast of the
confluenceConfluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where a tributary joins a more major river, called the mainstem, when that major river is also the highest order stream in the drainage basin....
of the
River SoweThe River Sowe is a River in Warwickshire and West Midlands, England. It is a tributary of the River Avon, and flows into it just south of Stoneleigh....
and
River AvonThe River Avon or Avon is a river in or adjoining the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire in the Midlands of England. It is also known as the Upper Avon, Warwickshire Avon or Shakespeare's Avon. The river has a total length of...
.
Stoneleigh does not have a
public houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises in countries and regions of British influence. Although the terms often have different connotations, there is little definitive difference between pubs, bars,...
. All three were closed by Lord Leigh over 100 years ago, after his daughter was laughed at by drunks when she was going to church on a tricycle.
Stoneleigh village has a church called the
Church of the Virgin Mary.
Stoneleigh Abbey
Stoneleigh AbbeyStoneleigh Abbey is a large country mansion situated to the southwest of the village of Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building.The Abbey was founded by the Cistercians in 1154...
is to the southwest of the village of Stoneleigh. It was founded by the
CisterciansThe Order of Cistercians is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monks. They are sometimes also called the White Monks, in reference to the colour of the habit, over which a black scapular or apron is sometimes worn...
in 1154. It was the home of the
Leigh familyBaron Leigh is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England 1643 when Sir Thomas Leigh, 2nd Baronet, was created Baron Leigh, of Stoneleigh in the County of Warwick...
from 1561 to 1990. In 1996 Lord John Piers Leigh transferred the ownership of Stoneleigh Abbey and its grounds to a charitable trust, and then between 1996 and 2000 it was extensively renovated with the help of grants including a large grant from the
Heritage Lottery FundThe Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
.
Stoneleigh Park
Stoneleigh ParkStoneleigh Park is located south west of the village of Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, in the West Midlands of England.The grounds cover about...
(previously known as the National Agricultural Centre) is to the southwest of the village. Stoneleigh Park is an exhibition and conference centre which hosts, amongst many other annual events, the
Royal ShowThe Royal Show was an annual agricultural show/fair held by the Royal Agricultural Society of England every year from 1839 to 2009. It was held in Stoneleigh Park near Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, England...
, a huge national agricultural event and the Town and Country Festival. From 1991-2001 it hosted the Christian event "Stoneleigh Bible Week", hosted by
NewfrontiersNewfrontiers is a neocharismatic apostolic network of evangelical, charismatic churches. It forms part of the British New Church Movement, which began in the late 50s and 60s combining features of Pentecostalism with British evangelicalism...
, in which up to 30,000 Christians from all over the world gathered for worship and teaching over a fortnight period with alternating weeks.
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