Welcome!
Thank you for visiting the website of Stoneleigh History Society! We hope you will enjoy looking through it. Perhaps you might like to become a member, or come along to our meetings. You will always be made very welcome.
This July marks fifty years since the closure of Stoneleigh School. By a happy coincidence, the History Society has recently been delighted to receive the gift of the school's handbell - perhaps some of you will remember hearing it ring to signal the end of playtime!
The same generous donor had previously presented us with a Georgian-era teacher's desk, and our collection also includes a child's chair from the school, together with several school prize books. These treasured items provide tangible links to a building that was such an important part of the Stoneleigh community.
All of these artefacts can be seen in our display area in the Leigh Chapel of the church, alongside many other fascinating exhibits and historical records. The church is open daily from 10am - 4pm.
Further information can be found on page 17 of the July/August edition of Stoneleigh and Ashow News. In addition, our booklet Stoneleigh School - A Very Short History is available to purchase for £3 from the Leigh Chapel.
Over the summer, we shall also be showcasing some of the stories shared by our members, beginning with Shirley Ball's account of her late husband David's military service on Christmas Island, where nuclear testing took place.
Stoneleigh School - Fifty Years Since Closure!
This summer we remember the day when Stoneleigh village underwent a massive change: fifty years ago, on July 23rd 1976, the school closed its doors for the last time.
By June that year, everyone was beginning to feel the sadness of losing such an important part of village life. The vicar, Reverend Neville Beamer, wrote an article in the June Stoneleigh & Ashow News called "The Curtain Falls". On July 11th there was a Thanksgiving Service at church, when the vicar spoke more about the loss of the school. The late David Thorley recorded Reverend Beamer's sermon, which gives us an important insight into this moment in our collective history. After giving thanks for all those who had been associated with the school in its more than two-hundred-year existence, he wondered what would become of the building: might it be somewhere to host village organisations, art classes, holiday homes for city folk?
After an Open Day on July 13th, with an exhibition and performances by the children, the school closed on July 23rd, about 230 years since first opening.
How different things must have seemed when the new term began. Not only were children travelling out of the village, but "the village seems dead" wrote the vicar in the October magazine, regretting that children's voices were no longer to be heard in the playground.
The building was finally sold ten years later in 1986, paving the way for smart new housing and apartments.
My book "Back to School", a history of the school, sold out very quickly after publication in 2019 but a small booklet giving a shorter version is available in the Leigh Chapel, for just £3.
Our next meeting, following our summer break, will take place on Tuesday, September 22nd.
"64 years - from Source to Mouth".
Douglas Faulconbridge traces his life's journey from his birthplace at the Mill House on the River Sowe in Alderman's Green to the point where the River Sowe joins the River Avon at Stoneleigh, where he has lived for the past five years.
The meeting begins at 7:30pm in Stoneleigh Village Hall. New members are welcome. Non-members pay £3, which includes refreshments.
While waiting for our next meeting, why not check out the article 'Charterhouse monks caught up in rebellion', written by one of our members for Historic Coventry Trust?
The July/August edition of the Stoneleigh and Ashow News is now available.
The minutes of the June meeting are also available.
New This Month
Remember, your membership includes affiliation to Warwickshire Local History Society. Upcoming events for 2026 include:-
Saturday 5 September Police Museum, Birmingham 1pm
Thursday 26 November Guided tour of Warwick Castle (interior) 2pm
Are you a member of a local society who would welcome a speaker? Please contact chair@stoneleighhistorysociety.org.uk for a brochure/further details.