The National Trust has opened an office near Bristol as a base for its experts providing support to its sites across Somerset and Gloucestershire.
The office at the historic, Grade II*-listed Leigh Court, Abbotts Leigh, was chosen for its modern office space within easy reach of Br
istol and its good road links to National Trust venues in the region.
National Trust manager Russell Ashfield said the rented space would give a vibrant base for Trust staff.
“Leigh Court gives us a modern and spacious office for the whole team and manages to combine a modern design in an historic building,” he said.
“Our team provides a range of essential support services to our properties including surveyors, visitor experience and marketing experts. Many live near Bristol and being close to the city but able to easily reach all of our places was seen as essential.”
The team has moved from Eastleigh Court, Warminster, which will remain the home for the South West Wiltshire Hub in the short term while a permanent office is created nearby.
The Trust ultimately plans to sell Eastleigh Court, which has planning consent for a change of use to return it to residential use.
Palladian mansion Leigh Court was designed by architect Thomas Hopper and built in 184 for Sir Philip John Miles, a Bristol ship owner, sugar baron and banker said to have been Bristol’s first recorded millionaire.
It was sympathetically converted to office accommodation and is owned by Business West, who provides conference and banqueting facilities, together with serviced office accommodation.
