News / Leigh Court
Leigh Court for sale for £5.5m
A country house which has been a location for shows including Bridgerton and Doctor Who is for sale with an asking price in excess of £5.5m.
Leigh Court in Abbots Leigh is a Grade II*-listed building set within 22 acres of parkland.
Owned by Business West who have had their headquarters there since 2004, it is also used as a wedding, corporate and events venue.
Alder King are marketing Leigh Court as having a variety of potential future uses including as a hotel, retirement home, flats or just one palatial family residence, with the possibility of a new-build development on the 1.27 acre car park.
Leigh Court is a Palladian mansion within a 25-acre estate on the edge of Leigh Woods – photo: Leigh Court
Alder King partner Simon Price said: “Leigh Court offers a rare opportunity to acquire a property with significant historical and architectural value in a well-connected location.
“Its scale and flexibility make it an interesting prospect for a range of potential buyers.”
The original Leigh Court was a Tudor mansion but this was demolished in 1821 after being sold to Sir Philip John Miles, a ship owner, sugar merchant and banker, who was also elected as MP for Bristol in 1825 – photo: Leigh Court
Business West managing director, Phil Smith, said: “Like many businesses, in a post-Covid environment we are looking to greater flexibility of working to better meet our staff’s needs.
“Over 90 per cent of our staff are now hybrid working with many operating fully remotely.
“Therefore, we have been reviewing our workplace strategy and have decided to put our HQ, Leigh Court, on the market whilst considering our new approach to our office accommodation.
“Releasing significant capital tied up in our Georgian HQ and savings on operational accommodation costs will enable us to invest more in our leadership and support resources, such as international trade and contract delivery, and support our regional development initiatives.”
Scenes for the Netflix series Bridgerton were filmed at Leigh Court – photo: Liam Daniel
Businessman Johnny Palmer, who purchased the stables of the Leigh Court estate in 2022, said he has “enjoyed developing this stunning location” and the stables “will remain a long-term investment for us and the sale of the main estate will not change this”.
Palmer said: “The main estate has a complex title with several parties having access rights across the entire estate.
“There are also many restrictions on the estate due to its historical importance, listed status and complex ecology.
“My team and I are keen to purchase the entire estate in order to make the property a useful community asset for recreation, businesses and to increase biodiversity.
“This will make the property relevant to the next generation and be a landmark for our region.
“The various leasehold owners and community at the estate are concerned that other buyers will look to build high-density residential accommodation which may damage the rich ecosystem which is home to various creatures and plant life.
“There will be both statutory and community resistance to this.
“We are concerned that the agent has suggested that it may be possible to build on the site – subject to consents – when this is highly improbable to happen, and would undermine the ongoing operations of various business and community uses.
“We hope that before anyone purchases the estate they will come and speak with the established community who will remain on the estate.
“We will be happy to share with them the complexities of the estate and the challenges the estate has with change of use or other development.”
Main photo: Johnny Palmer / Autonomous Investments
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
