Stoneleigh Abbey

Stoneleigh Abbey is open to the public from Good Friday to 31st October on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and Bank Holidays. The grounds and Repton Walk are open from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M, only on days the house is open to the public. The house is viewed by guided tour only.

HOUSE

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 is comprised of two halves; the first, made of red sandstone, is a fine example of a Jacobean country house. 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.

ORANGERY

The Orangery, located near the River Avon, was constructed in 1851 to compliment the house. The structure would have been used to house exotic plants from the far reaches of the empire, and to grow fruits out of season for the family to enjoy year round.

The Orangery now welcomes guests as the Abbey’s tea room, serving teas, coffees, cakes, Afternoon Teas, Cream Teas and sandwiches.
Open until 5pm Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week.
It runs a table service and booking is advised.

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. New for 2016: visitors can enjoy the new cordelia Leigh Bridge and walks along the Gazebo island.