Remains of Abbey Buildings at Stoneleigh

Description of this historic site

The remains of Stoneleigh Abbey buildings that are of Medieval date. Parts of the abbey cloister, chapter house and dormitory survive and have been incorporated into a later building. The abbey buildings were located 500m north west of The Grove.

Notes about this historic site

1 In 1535 the last Abbot surrendered to the Crown. The Abbey lay a roofless ruin until 1561. An Elizabethan building was constructed and remained substantially unaltered until 1710. The E wing of the house was built on the site of the Abbey’s S transept and dormitory undercroft and a corresponding W wing on the S aisle. In 1714 more alterations were carried out.
2 The present house is built on four sides of a central open space roughly coincident with the cloister garth of the abbey. The E wing embodies much of the ground floor of monastic buildings, although these are much altered. Traces of the 12th century chapter house can be distinguished and a slype, possible warming house and undercroft are also surviving parts of the Abbey. The undercroft, probably of the dormitory, is excellently preserved and 14th century in date. It is 21m by 8.5m with a central row of columns.
4 Listed Building description.
5 Summary of a series of watching briefs carried out at Stoneleigh Abbey, in 1999. Trenching by the east wall of the East Wing revealed part of the wall dividing the two side chapels east of the south transept of the Abbey church and part of the north wall of the Chapter House. A further wall, running north-south, was revealed c.13m east of the East Wing which may be the original east wall of the Chapter House. Excavations beneath the floor in the Chapter House revealed the base of the
north jamb of the doorway into the cloister with surviving white and red paint. The level of the original medieval floor was visible 0.45m below the modern level. A drain trench in the cloister revealed an area of in situ tiled floor towards the south end of the east alley. This contained a mix of monochrome and slipdecorated, patterned tiles, many severely worn. A further collection of 136 loose tiles came to light in August 1999; this includes 37 designs, including five not previously recorded in Warwickshire.
6 Summary of a series of watching briefs carried out at Stoneleigh Abbey, in 1998. The east wall of the cloister arcade of the abbey buildings was located in a trench in the courtyard of the existing cloister.

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