The son of London surveyor, Claude Leigh initially joined his father's business before venturing out on his own providing quality housing for working class people.[1]
Leigh was a pioneer of social housing who in 1929 established the Metropolitan Housing Corporation to provide rented accommodation in London.[1] By 1937 he was attracting attention because of the large number of blocks of residential accommodation he was buying up.[2]
In 1946, following the introduction of rent controls, Leigh focussed on commercial property and merged his business with several others to form the Metropolitan Estates & Property Corporation.[1] He expanded this business into one of the United Kingdom's largest property concerns.[1]
Leigh was also keen on horse racing and owned racehorses:[3] he acquired the famous racecourse, Star Kingdom, in 1949.[4]