A watercolour view of the Georgian house with the Royal Standard flying, seen from across the river, cows grazing in the middle ground. Signed at lower left: R.P.Leitch. 

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed with Lord and Lady Leigh at Stoneleigh from 14-16 June, 1858, as part of their royal tour to Birmingham. They opened Aston Hall on 15 June, and then visited Warwick Castle the next day.

Richard Principal Leitch was the son of the royal watercolour tutor William Leighton Leitch, who taught Queen Victoria, her daughters and her daughter-in-law Princess (later Queen) Alexandra for almost twenty years. Richard was sent to Birmingham to cover the royal tour for the Illustrated London News, and was commanded to submit his portfolio of sketches to Victoria; the royal couple presumably then commissioned two watercolours for their own collection from him, which were depictions of Aston House and Warwick Castle (RCIN 920244 and 920245). There is no record for payment for this watercolour, however, which may suggest that it was presented to Victoria and Albert by Lady Leigh. 

This watercolour was originally mounted in View Album VIII. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert compiled nine View Albums during their marriage. These albums contained watercolours and drawings documenting their life together and were arranged in chronological order. The albums were dismantled in the early twentieth century and rebound in new volumes both in a different arrangement and with additional items, but a written record of their original contents and arrangement still exists.