Church of the Virgin Mary in Stoneleigh 6g06

Stoneleigh is a small village in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avo ...

, England, on the

River Sowe The 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 about 5 miles (8 km) south of Coventry. It is about long. The Sowe rises in Bedwo ...

, situated 4.5 miles (7.25 km) south of

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

and 5.5 miles (9 km) north of

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...

. The population taken at the 2011 census was 3,636. The village is about northeast of the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of the River Sowe and the River Avon. The village's church is dedicated to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. Stoneleigh has no

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

: 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 A social club may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation, or activity. Examples include: book discussion clubs, chess clubs, anime clubs, country clubs, charity work, criminal ...

, 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 both the surface of the 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, alt ...

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 The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

. 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 The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

. 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 A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically o ...

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 A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

which used to host, amongst many other annual events, the

Royal Show The Royal Show, also known as the Royal Agricultural Show, was an annual agricultural show/fair held by the Royal Agricultural Society of England every year from 1839 to 2009. The event encompassed all aspects of farming, food and rural life ...

, a huge national agricultural event, and the Town and Country Festival. From 1991 to 2001 it hosted the

Newfrontiers Newfrontiers (previously New Frontiers International) is a neo-charismatic church network of evangelical, charismatic churches founded by Terry Virgo. It forms part of the British New Church Movement, which began in the late 1950s and 1960s ...

"Stoneleigh Bible Week", when up to 30,000

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...

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 Website

Stoneleigh Park

Stoneleigh Abbey

Photos of Stoneleigh
Villages in Warwickshire {{Warwickshire-geo-stub