Leigh Brooks completed his architectural training under the personal tutelage of eminent architectural historian Professor James Stevens Curl in 1995 after which he spent eight years working as Project Architect and Senior Associate on numerous highly prestigious projects including the award winning works at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge and the new Brownsword Market Building in Poundbury. In January 2002 Leigh was awarded the Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) by HM Queen Elizabeth II in the 2002 Jubilee Honours List for his work as Project Architect on the £25M Extension and Remodelling of the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.

In 2002 Leigh set up as a sole practitioner and was joined by Stuart Ware a year later. James Palmer joined the practice in 2009 to form the core of BWP Architects. As the Director running the Farnham studio,  Leigh’s clients have included Sir Stephen & Lady Lamport, Sir Peter & Lady Wakefield’s family, Tkei Homes Ltd, Gold Property Developments Ltd, Prism Homes Ltd, The Field Lane Foundation, Persimmon Homes Yorkshire, ECOnvery Developments as well as a large number of private clients.

Leigh’s designs for a new contemporary home in Farnham for a private client won an award in the UK regional stage of the prestigious International Property Awards 2014-15 and was the highest place residential scheme in the 2015 Waverley Design Awards.

Project experience, in addition to the work noted above, includes speculative new houses for developers ranging from 1,500sqft through to 8,500sqft; one of homes for private clients in both very traditional and very contemporary styles; masterplanning projects for housing schemes of several hundred units through to a new leisure and holiday park; and residential care facilities including supported living units and vulnerable family units.

As part of his on-going Social Responsibility work Leigh was Chairman of Farnham Round Table for 2011/12 and has also previously been the Chair of the Fundraising Committee of a local school, a non-paid advisor to a local school’s Building Committee and was one of the founders of and treasurer for the Farnham Charity Bike Ride. After leaving Round Table, members usually go on to join 41 Club, who support the local Round Table in all their fund-raising activities, and after Leigh was voted as President in his second year in Farnham 41 Club he remains an active member of the Committee as the Social Secretary.

Other charity fundraising activities include completing the famous ‘3 Peaks Challenge’; climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowden in less than 24hrs from start to finish, off-road mountain bike charity rides from Farnham to Emsworth Harbour on behalf of The Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice (a local Farnham charity) and the British Heart Foundation’s Off-Road London to Brighton ride.

When not at work, one of Leigh’s favourite activities is riding around the Surrey Hills get covered in mud and attempting to keep fit with friends on mountain bikes; he can often be found at weekends puffing and panting up a hill only to slip and slide his way down the other side while avoiding rocks and roots…