Gemma Antrobus, who worked with Brownrigg for seven years before taking over at Haslemere, said she would remember him as “the quintessential English gentleman”.
“He ran Haslemere Travel, alongside his wife, Di, for close to 26 years, with the help of a very loyal workforce and equally loyal clients,” said Antrobus, who also followed in Brownrigg’s footsteps as chair of Aito Specialist Agents.
“He was very involved locally in Haslemere, including being appointed chair of the local Chamber of Commerce. I learned a lot from him over the years, and we will all miss him greatly.”
After spending several years as an accountant, Brownrigg joined the travel industry in 1974 taking up a role with Bridge Travel in London, followed by five years at Sightseeing International.
After marrying Di in 1979, he helped launch Gilt-Edge Travel in Pall Mall, organising business travel for blue-chip companies in the City.
In 1988, the Brownriggs started Haslemere Travel, initially in a first-floor office in Haslemere’s Weyhill district. The business set up on the town’s high street a decade later, with its opening ceremony featuring TV celebrity Alan Titchmarsh.
Following a management buyout led by Antrobus in 2015, the family moved to nearby Liphook.
Brownrigg is survived by Di and their two daughters, Amy and Lucy.
Aito said Brownrigg was a “long-term and very enthusiastic supporter of the association”, adding he would be “sorely missed by his family and his many loyal friends in his beloved travel industry”.
“He enjoyed life to the full but, although he enjoyed staying in luxury hotels, was happiest in three- or four-star properties, preferably feet-in-the-sand places such as Kipungani on Lamu Island in Kenya," said Di.
"We had some fabulous holidays over the years, which helped enormously on the sales front at Haslemere Travel; he described every part of the trips he enjoyed so brilliantly to clients that they simply had to follow in his footsteps! Africa and the Greek islands were our personal favourite destinations,” said Di.
“He wasn’t what I would call a bon viveur – tapas-style food was our favourite, and his knowledge of wine was limited, although he of course took great pleasure in drinking a few glasses in the company of friends and family.”
Brownrigg’s funeral will be held at St Bartholomew’s Church, Haslemere on Monday 6 November at 2pm. All are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, the family’s chosen charities for donations are The Stroke Association, Medecins Sans Frontieres and The Fernden Foundation. Donations can be made via funeral directors, GM Luff & Partners, at gmluff.UK/donations.
