Ray Leigh MBE

RIBA ''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...

. He was especially influential in the field of furniture design and was a key figure in the post-war furniture making industry in the UK.

Early life and education

Leigh was born in

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where his father worked as a civil servant but spent the war years in

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...

where the family was evacuated. Inspired by the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

Midland Hotel in the town designed by architect Oliver Hill, he continued his education at the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest private school of architecture in the UK. The AA hosts exhibitions, lectures, symposia and publications. History The Architectura ...

. There, he was in a class of students under Sir

Frederick Gibberd Sir Frederick Ernest Gibberd CBE (7 January 1908 – 9 January 1984) was an English architect, town planner and landscape designer. He is particularly known for his work in Harlow, Essex, and for the BISF house, a design for a prefabricated ...

who went on to make a significant contribution to post-war design and architecture in the UK; Sir

Philip Dowson Sir Philip Henry Manning Dowson (16 August 1924 – 22 August 2014) was a leading British architect. He served as President of the Royal Academy from 1993 to 1999. Early life Philip Dowson was born in South Africa. Having moved to England, he ...

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

Ted Cullinan Edward Horder Cullinan HonFRIAS (17 July 1931 – 11 November 2019) was an English architect. Life Born in central London to Joy, an artist mother, and Edward, a doctor, Cullinan was educated at Ampleforth College, Queens' College, Cambridg ...

, Sir

Colin St John Wilson Sir Colin Alexander St John Wilson, Royal Institute of British Architects, FRIBA, Royal Academy, RA, (14 March 1922 – 14 May 2007) was an English architect, lecturer and author. With his partner MJ Long, Wilson spent over 30 years progressing t ...

and

Julian Keable Julian may refer to: People * Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363 * Julian, of the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots * Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints * Julian (given name), people w ...

Roderick Gradidge Roderick Gradidge Architectural Association School of Architecture, AA Dipl. ARIBA (3 January 1929 – 20 December 2000) was a British architect and writer on architecture, former Master of the Art Workers Guild and campaigner for a traditional a ...

and

Michael Blower Michael Blower MBE AAdipl FRIBA FRSA (born 25 May 1929) is a British architect, activist for the preservation and restoration of England's cultural heritage and accomplished watercolourist and recorder of England's townscapes. Most of his bui ...

were also his contemporaries.

Career

After

National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

, he started in the office of Dick Russell, brother of Gordon Russell to work on the interior fit out of buildings for the 1951

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Labour Party cabinet member Herbert Morrison was the prime mover; in 1947 he started with the ...

. He worked closely there and made lifelong friendships with figures such as Sir James Stirling, 'Jacko' Moya and Sir Philp Powell, John Piper,

Mary Shand Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

Terence Conran Sir Terence Orby Conran (4 October 1931 – 12 September 2020) was a British designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer. He founded the Design Museum in Shad Thames, London in 1989. The British designer Thomas Heatherwick said that Conran "m ...

and Robin Wade. After the Festival, he joined Sir Gordon Russell, the influential furniture designer in his eponymous business Russell, Hodgson & Leigh (1957-1967), eventually making Partner. In 1967 he became Senior Designer of the firm, and later became managing director and eventually chair, where it grew into a business of 200 people at its peak. The firm was sold in 1986 after which he became involved in advocacy for the furniture making industry.

Significant projects

Leigh was responsible for the chairs for

Coventry Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, commonly known as Coventry Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry within the Church of England. The cathedral is located in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midla ...

Basil Spence Sir Basil Urwin Spence, (13 August 1907 – 19 November 1976) was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Moderni ...

, a classic of post-war design, designed by Dick Russell, Gordon's brother.

Public life

He was President of the Guild of Gloucester Craftsmen,

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Chipping Camden Chipping Campden is a market town in the Cotswold (district), Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It is notable for its terraced High Street, dating from the 14th to the 17th centuries. A wool trading centre in the Middle Ages, Chipp ...

, Master of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers in 1984, a founding trustee of

Crafts Council The Crafts Council is the national development agency for contemporary craft in the United Kingdom, and is funded by Arts Council England. History The Crafts Advisory Committee was formed in 1971 to advise the Minister for the Arts, David Eccle ...

, Chair of

Furniture Industry Research Association Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating ( tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furniture is also used to hold objects ...

, and Chair of the

Edward Barnsley William Edward Barnsley (7 February 1900 2 December 1987) was an English designer and maker of furniture, teacher and important figure in the 20th-century British craft movement. Born in Duntisbourne Rouse, Gloucestershire, he was the son of ...

Educational Trust.

Family life

Leigh had three children two of whom pre-deceased him. He was married for 72 years to Jean. His obituary was published in ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

''.

Legacy

Leigh's archive is held by the Gordon Russell Design Museum, a project which he advocated in the former premises of the business, in Broadway in the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...

Gallery

References

Bibliography

* ''Advance the Product. Gordon Russell Furniture - Continuing Adventure (1946-1986)'', by Ray Leigh. Broadway: Gordon Russell Trust, 2015 (paperback, ) * ''A Change of Direction. Gordon Russell Furniture (1930–1940)'', by Ray Leigh. Broadway: Gordon Russell Trust, 2017 (paperback, ) * ''Drawn to Design. The Work of Sir Gordon Russell'', by Ray Leigh & Trevor Chinn. Broadway: Gordon Russell Trust, 2013 (paperback, )

External links

The Gordon Russell Museum, Broadway, Worcestershire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leigh, Ray 1928 births 21st-century English architects Alumni of the Architectural Association School of Architecture Architects from Lancashire Architects from London Designers from London People educated at Whitgift School People from Morecambe People from Streatham Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire