Leigh Court is an impressive Palladian mansion that stands proudly on a 25-acre estate on the edge of Leigh Woods. Located just outside of Bristol, Leigh Court is a short hop across the Suspension Bridge, a few miles from Clifton Village or the M5 J19 in the other direction.
What is Leigh Court used for?
Leigh Court is a beautiful event space and wedding venue, which is open throughout the year to clients hosting a multitude of business events, private gatherings, weddings and celebrations in our beautiful house and accompanying parklands.
Weddings at Leigh Court
For over 25 years, we have had the joy of hosting many weddings at Leigh Court. The Great Hall, with its magnificent double floating staircase, not only makes a grand entrance for the wedding party, but is also the feature of many unforgettable photographs. Each room, with its individual features and character, provides the inspiration to create the wedding day of your dreams. A perfect wedding venue, please see our wedding pages for more information.
Leigh Court and the local business scene
Leigh Court is the home of the largest Chamber of Commerce in the UK, Business West, which became a B-Corp in 2021, with the ethos to meet the highest standards of verified environmental and social performance with public transparency and legal accountability.
As a business leadership organisation, Business West supports businesses to start, grow, innovate and trade internationally, and we are delighted to be able to welcome many of these local businesses through our doors, here at Leigh Court.
Sustainability at Leigh Court
Leigh Court is a Grade II* listed building, which poses some challenges for us when it comes to sustainability. We have worked hard to champion sustainable solutions and innovative technology to improve our carbon footprint, and even though we are carbon neutral we recognise there is still more we can do, and our aim is to be net zero by 2030. Read more about our sustainability work.
Leigh Court’s architecture and history
Externally the architectural style of Leigh Court is Palladian and built of Bath stone. The interior style is Greek revival and decorated in impressive 19th-century décor, with many of the original features still intact. This makes it a truly beautiful event space and wedding venue.
The Great Hall, with its magnificent double staircase, still houses the original unique pipe organ. The pipe organ has been restored over the last few years and is still played today.
The original Leigh Court was a Tudor mansion built by Sir George Newton in 1558. However, it was demolished in 1821 after being sold to Sir Philip John Miles.
Philip Miles (1773 -1845), a Bristol ship owner, sugar merchant and banker, was elected MP for Bristol in 1825 and was Bristol’s first recorded millionaire. His father, William Miles, was an entrepreneurial merchant who became very wealthy as a result of his involvement in the slave and sugar trade in Bristol and Jamaica.
Philip Miles died in 1845 leaving Leigh Court to his eldest son. The house remained in the Miles family until 1915 when it was sold to Rev. Burden of Clevedon Hall. In 2004 Business West assumed ownership of the Estate.
This record stands as a history of the Leigh Court Estate, and as the present custodians, we abhor the Miles family’s involvement in the Slave Trade. Leigh Court stands not as a testament to the wealth of the Miles family, but as a place for businesses of all types, a place for people to work and to come together. We pledge to continue to preserve, maintain and improve the Estate whilst acknowledging our shared history and educating ourselves and others about its past. We welcome any discussion or questions that you have.