Club History
The Stoneleigh Village Club has a long history, even preceding its current premises, which were probably erected circa 1840 along with the four cottages attached to it. Today it is, along with the cottages, a Grade II Listed Building. On the site of the present building there was for several centuries an important coaching inn, The Swan, which provided substantial accommodation both for travellers and their live-stock, and for the Leigh family when attending St Mary the Virgin Church in Stoneleigh. A coach house was specifically built there for this purpose, to accommodate the family’s coach and horses whilst they were at church. The first inn-keeper of whom we know is recorded as early as 1595.
Stoneleigh Village Club was opened on November 5th 1856 by William Henry, Lord Leigh as Stoneleigh Village Club and Reading Room. A commemorative plaque can still be seen inside the Club, and an 86-page document records the lecture given by his Lordship on that occasion; he furnished the premises with 750 books and newspapers for use by the villagers. His youngest brother, the Reverend James Wentworth Leigh, Vicar of Stoneleigh 1863-1872 and later Dean of Hereford, records in his autobiography that “interesting lectures were given during the winter months by well-known lecturers”, and that “the Reading-room was well attended every night by men anxious to read the newspapers and books provided, and that the lectures on historical, scientific, and other subjects, which were delivered once a month during five months in the year, were well attended and eagerly listened to.” [Other Days, published 1923]
At the time of the First World War the Reading Room/Club became the focus for village activity to help the war effort. Lord Leigh and his sister, Cordelia, held meetings there to encourage the young men of the village to enlist and to sign up for shooting practice organised by Lord Leigh’s game-keeper. Appeals for help accommodating Belgian refugees, and for sending Christmas presents to the troops, were pinned to the door. Women, again recruited by Cordelia Leigh and her sister Agnes, met there to organise sewing projects such as the construction of sand-bags. Although the Leigh family, led initially by Lord Leigh and the Reverend James, held Temperance Meetings at the Club, coffee and cocoa being sold, some time after 1900 it became a licensed premises – continuing the tradition of The Swan Inn.
Throughout the twentieth century the Village Club remained the hub of village life. Women were admitted as members some 60 years ago, and family events are now regularly held there, such as birthdays, christenings and wakes. Each Christmas the Coventry Mummers perform the ancient Stoneleigh Mummers Play to a large audience, to raise money for local charities. Other regular events include an annual Duck Race/Village Fete, as well as Bonfire Night and a variety of Christmas and New Year “special events.” These are valued occasions when villagers get together as a community. The Club also hosts a number of gatherings such as quiz nights, knit & natter sessions and there are the usual darts, dominoes, crib & pool tournaments. In recent years the Club has been the focus for the village’s celebrations of national events, such as Royal Jubilees and the King’s Coronation.
Abridged with kind permission from the Stoneleigh History Society, who also provided the photos on this page. For the the full version, and other fascinating insights into the history of Stoneleigh Village, please visit:
