Stoneleigh Abbey was founded in the reign of Henry II and after the Dissolution was granted to the Duke of Suffolk. The estate then passed into the ownership of the Leigh family who remained for 400 years. The estate is now managed by a charitable trust. Visitors will experience a wealth of architectural styles spanning more than 800 years: the magnificent State rooms and chapel of the 18th century Baroque West Wing contain original pieces of furniture including a set of library chairs made by William Gomm in 1763; a medieval Gatehouse; the Gothic Revival-style Regency Stables. Jane Austen was a distant relative of the Leigh family and in her description of ‘Sotherton’ in Mansfield Park she recalls her stay at Stoneleigh Abbey. Parts of Northanger Abbey also use Stoneleigh for inspiration. The River Avon flows through the estate’s 690 acres of grounds and parkland which displays the influences of Humphry Repton and other major landscape architects. In June 1858 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Stoneleigh Abbey - during their stay Queen Victoria planted an oak tree. In 2003 HRH Prince Charles visited Stoneleigh to mark the completion of the restoration of the Abbey and during his visit he also planted an English oak tree. Stoneleigh Abbey has been the subject of a major restoration programme funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and the European Regional Development Fund.