Latest walk: Stoneleigh to Stareton.

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Stoneleigh is a village near Coventry and in fact some of it's lands have been incorporated into the modern city.
In 1154 Cistercian monks established Stoneleigh Abbey. The Monastic house flourished until it was dissolved by King Henry VIII four centuries later. The Abbey was converted into a Great House, though incorporating significant monastic remains, and was dwelt in for centuries by the Leigh family, relatives of Jane Austen. Austen visited the Leighs and incorporated descriptions of the house and the surrounding area in several of her novels.

This walk is from a guide book and wanders about the Stoneleigh area, recrossing itself a couple of times! It begins by the Almshouses in the village. The Almshouses were established by Dame Alice Leigh, wife of the first sir Thomas Leigh, for 5 poor men and 5 poor women. They still fulfill this function today though they have recently been fitted with inside lavatories. Over one of the doors is the date 1594.
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We walk out of the village towards the Bridge over the young Warwickshire Avon. This bridge was built by John Rennie in the early 1800's, replacing an earlier one. It was widened in 1845 to allow two-way traffic.
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The latch on the gate by the bridge looks hand made.
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A short walk across the meadow and we come to the church, which has been much altered over the centuries. The earliest visible work is Norman.
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The blocked Norman north doorway still has a rare carved tympanum above the doorway, with two intertwined dragons and two serpents.
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The font within the church is of very great age. The Guide book says 12th century but it could be Saxon or even late Roman.
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Ivy covered box tombs in the churchyard.
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Set into the blocked south doorway is this inscribed stone singing the praises of the charitable Humphrey Howe, porter to Lord Leigh.
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This kissing gate leads out onto the meadow
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Looking back across the meadow at the church.
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Footpath away from the village
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Kissing gate out onto the fields.
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We cut back down towards the Avon here
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The path is visible in the grass, just about!
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The white "flowers" are actually dandelion seed head "clocks".
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We cross over the Avon on a footbridge then climb the valley side up this ancient holloway - the path has been worn 8-10 feet below the fields either side.
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after crossing a field we pass a small bluebell wood. The flowers are wide open now and give off a rich scent.
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The path is clearly visible as we walk across the pasture to the Avon again.
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This old stone footbridge crosses a muddy channel.
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Someone has carved a Nine Men's Morris board on the parapet.
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A few yards further on we cross over the Avon on a more modern footbridge - the river lies actually slightly up the valley side! We are now in Stareton and come out onto a lane.
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This old gate lodge to Stoneleigh Abbey is Elizabethan in style but is probably Victorian.
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The medieval Stare Bridge over the Avon. It is no longer in use by traffic, being replaced by a more modern bridge nearby.
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The new bridge.
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The old bridge.
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The path here goes through Stoneleigh Park. These are Park White Cattle, a breed that goes back more than 2,000 years. They continued to be kept on the Celtic fringes of Britain and some were enclosed in private parks from the 13th century. You can see the large girth of this old oak here.
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Thatched cottage
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Manor Farm House, Stoneleigh. This end of the house is the oldest and dates from the late 16th century. That big old stone chimney stack means there is a huge inglenook fireplace inside I expect.
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Stoneleigh is full of old houses, going back to 1450. Very picturesque!
 
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more awesome pics mate.. thanks for sharing...:thumbup: i love the little cottages and houses...:)
 
Awesome pictures once again Andrew! That area is quite picturesque indeed. I love the old structures, and the house with the huge fire place is really nice. That old foot path has seen a lot of traffic over the years to be worn so. I always look forward to your walks, thank you for taking us along!
 
Great pics, thanks very much. :thumbup: I never tire of looking at the countryside and small towns in the UK.
 
WOW again those are great pics. Awsome story line. I just love your walks and like to read them as soon as you post them... If i would ever make it over the pond expect me to knock on your door, Requsting you to take me on one of your walks. I looked at your post 3 times just now as i enjoyed your walk so much. Wish we had places like that to walk.


Sasha
 
Thanks for the nice comments :)
You are welcome Sasha, always good to share a walk!
I do think late May is the optimum moment to enjoy the English countryside though, there are flowers, all the greens are new and fresh and the air is crisp and clear without all the haze you get later in the summer. Also the brambles and nettles and other stingy, scratchy things have yet to get going properly!
I am starting to run out of ideas though for walks within 30 minutes drive of my house in Birmingham. You may get a report from regions new before too long :)
 
Wow, stunning photography...thanks for letting us "walk along with you":thumbup: The history is quite rich and amazing!

ROCK6
 
I've started a thread in European community for anyone interested in the general subject of walking/hiking in Britain.

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A couple more pics of Stoneleigh :)

A thatched house with visible cruck frames in the gable end.
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The oldest house in Stoneleigh? Dated to about 1450.
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The village forge, dated 1851
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