Stoneleigh Abbey, Kenilworth, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

Stoneleigh Abbey, a Cistercian foundation, was founded in 1154. At the Dissolution it was purchased by Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. In the mid-16th century it was let to a farmer, Thomas Dadley, who lived in a house on the site of the present east range, which incorporates remains of the monastic buildings. In 1561 the estate was sold to two London merchants, Sir Rowland Hill and Sir Thomas Leigh, who was married to Hill's daughter and heiress. At Sir Thomas' death in 1571 Stoneleigh passed to his middle son, Thomas, who was created a baronet in 1611. Sir Thomas rebuilt the north and east ranges of the house in about 1603 and this work was completed by his grandson, another Sir Thomas Leigh, who inherited in 1626 and was created Baron Leigh in 1643. The third Lord Leigh, who inherited in 1710, visited Italy in 1711, and on his return in 1714, commissioned alterations to the house. Work continued under the fourth Lord Leigh who died in 1749, leaving a son who was still a minor. Edward, fifth Lord Leigh, came of age in 1763, and began an ambitious programme of improvements which are shown on a plan (1766-7) by Matthias Baker. Lord Leigh lapsed into insanity in 1767, and was confined at Stoneleigh until his death in 1786. He was succeeded by his spinster sister, the Hon Mary Leigh, a reclusive lady who made only modest changes to the park. At her death in 1806, Mary Leigh left Stoneleigh to her relative, James Henry Leigh of Adlestrop, Gloucestershire (see description of this site elsewhere in the Register), direct descendent of the eldest son of the first Sir Thomas Leigh (died 1571), with a life interest to his uncle, the Rev Thomas Leigh, also of Adlestrop. When the Rev Thomas heard of his inheritance, his cousin Cassandra Austen and her daughter, the novelist Jane Austen, were staying with him; together they visited Stoneleigh. Mrs Austen described the grounds with 'the Avon near the house amidst green meadows bounded by large and beautiful woods full of delightful walks' (quoted in Batey and Lambert 1990). In 1808, the Rev Thomas Leigh invited Humphry Repton (1752-1818), who had previously worked for him at Adlestrop, to visit Stoneleigh and make recommendations for the improvement of the estate. These were presented in 1809 in a large-format Red Book, with proposals laid out in the manner of several artists including Claude, Watteau and Ruysdael. The architectural elements of Repton's scheme have been attributed to his son, John Adey Repton (1775-1860) (Parklands 1997). Repton's work at Stoneleigh was known to Jane Austen, and informed her novel Mansfield Park (1814) (Batey and Lambert 1990; Batey 1996). Repton continued to work at Stoneleigh until the death of the Rev Thomas Leigh in 1813, but his commission was not continued under James Henry Leigh. Instead, improvements in a picturesque style continued into the 1830s, with advice from the Leamington architect C S Smith.

James Henry Leigh died in 1823, and was succeeded by his son, Chandos, created Baron Leigh of Stoneleigh in 1839; his widowed mother remained actively involved in the management of the estate until her death in 1843. Chandos Leigh died in 1850, and was succeeded as second Lord Leigh by his son, William Henry. In the mid-19th century formal terraced gardens were laid out to the design of W A Nesfield (1793-1881) which provided the setting for a visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1858. In the late 19th century and early 20th century the park and gardens were widely described (Country Life 1899, 1901, 1906). The third Lord Leigh succeeded in 1905, and died childless in 1938, when the estate passed to his nephew, the fifth Lord Leigh. In the 1930s Percy Cane (1881-1976) was commissioned to alter the formal terraced gardens. During the Second World War a temporary hospital was established in the Deer Park, and agricultural experiments were carried out. After the war the Deer Park was sold to Massey Ferguson Ltd, and in the late 20th century part of the Deer Park was developed as a golf course. In 1963 an area of the New Park north of the Abbey was leased to the Royal Agricultural Society of England for use as a permanent show ground. Fire damaged the west range of the Abbey in 1960, but following repair the house continued to be occupied by the Leigh family until 1992. Stoneleigh Abbey was vested in the Stoneleigh Abbey Preservation Trust by the sixth Lord Leigh in 1988, while in 1993 the Abbey and immediate grounds were transferred to the Stoneleigh Abbey Trust. A major programme of restoration has been undertaken in the house and grounds from 1997.