Gordon Russell Design Museum - Broadway Photos

Gordon Russell Design Museum, in the center of Broadway village, Cotswolds, features highly regarded furniture designer, Sir Gordon Russell (1892-1980) as well as the work of his brother, Dick Russell, and other designers employed by the family factory in Broadway during the 20thC. The Russell family's association with Broadway dates back to the early 20thC when they purchased the Lygon Arms with the intent of turning it into a country hotel. Sir Gordon identified with the Arts & Crafts movement, but differed in his strong belief in using both hand and machine production methods to offer elegant but affordable furniture to the general public. The items on display reflect the Russell factory designers' ability to stay in tune with changing needs over the decades.

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Gordon Russell Design Museum which celebrates the life & work of furniture designer Sir Gordon Russell who moved to Broadway during his teenage years after his parents purchased the Lygon Arms. Broadway, England.Entrance to Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Cast bronze sculpted portrait head of Gordon Russell by Alan Thornhill at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Examples of furniture designed by Sir Gordon to be simple & affordable while well designed and good quality at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
Gordon Russell Design Museum which celebrates the life & work of furniture designer Sir Gordon Russell who moved to Broadway during his teenage years after his parents purchased the Lygon Arms. Broadway, England.Entrance to Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Cast bronze sculpted portrait head of Gordon Russell (1967) by Alan Thornhill at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Examples of furniture designed by Sir Gordon to be simple & affordable while well designed and good quality at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
Examples of furniture designed by Sir Gordon lining hallway at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Exterior sign for the showroom of Gordon Russell Limited designed by Geoffrey Jellicoe at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Cabinet designed by Sir Gordon Russell & made at his workshop, which was awarded Gold Medal at the 1925 Paris Exhibition at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Sideboard in English Oak with laburnum wood handles designed by Sir Gordon Russell and made by his workshop at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
Examples of furniture designed by Sir Gordon lining hallway at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Exterior sign (1927) for the showroom of Gordon Russell Limited designed by Geoffrey Jellicoe at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Cabinet (c1925) designed by Sir Gordon Russell & made at his workshop, which was awarded Gold Medal at the 1925 Paris Exhibition at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Sideboard (1925) in English Oak with laburnum wood handles designed by Sir Gordon Russell and made by his workshop at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
Elliptical double gate leg table in oak designed by Sir Gordon Russell in Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Lace or glove box made of English walnut with inlays of other woods to form an elderflower designed by Sir Gordon Russell as a specially commissioned piece at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Oak Tall Boy designed by Sir Gordon Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Two matching oak plan chests with laburnum wood handles used to store design drawings at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
Elliptical double gate leg table (1926) in oak designed by Sir Gordon Russell in Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Lace or glove box (1926) made of English walnut with inlays of other woods to form an elderflower designed by Sir Gordon Russell as a specially commissioned piece at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Oak Tall Boy (1926) designed by Sir Gordon Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Two matching oak plan chests with laburnum wood handles used to store design drawings at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
English walnut jewel cabinet with ebony & boxwood inlay to the doors designed by Sir Gordon & made by Bert Alloway at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Walnut dressing table with swing mirror designed by Sir Gordon at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Northleach box table mirror in walnut & laburnum wood on Stow chest of drawers in English brown oak & cedar designed by Sir Gordon Russell & made by H. Allaway at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Secretary desk at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
English walnut jewel cabinet (1928) with ebony & boxwood inlay to the doors designed by Sir Gordon (1922) & made by Bert Alloway (1928) at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Walnut dressing table with swing mirror (1926) designed by Sir Gordon at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Northleach box table mirror in walnut & laburnum wood (1926) on Stow chest of drawers in English brown oak & cedar (1924) designed by Sir Gordon Russell & made by H. Allaway at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Secretary desk at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
Lloyd George chest commissioned by Lloyd George to be made from holly tree which had blown down in his garden designed by Sir Gordon & made by Cecil Gough at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Sideboard designed by W.H. Russell & part of the Weston dining group at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Oak table with fluted legs and two chairs designed by Sir Gordon & part of the Weston dining group at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Oak dining chair designed by Gordon Russell. Broadway, England.
Lloyd George chest (aka Snowshill chest) (1928) commissioned by Lloyd George to be made from holly tree which had blown down in his garden designed by Sir Gordon & made by Cecil Gough at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Sideboard (1931) designed by W.H. Russell & part of the Weston dining group at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Oak table with fluted legs (1929) and two chairs designed by Sir Gordon & part of the Weston dining group at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Oak dining chair (1925) designed by Gordon Russell. Broadway, England.
Turned single chair in laburnum wood with rush seating & shaped back rails designed by Gordon Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Turned arm chair in yew wood with rush seating & bog oak bobbins designed by Gordon Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Wooden models of WWII aircraft used to train aircraft spotters made at Russell's furniture factory which was then doing war work at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Chart used to train aircraft spotters in plane recognition from below at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
Turned single chair in laburnum wood with rush seating & shaped back rails (1928) designed by Gordon Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Turned arm chair in yew wood (1928) with rush seating & bog oak bobbins (legs) designed by Gordon Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Wooden models of WWII aircraft used to train aircraft spotters made at Russell's furniture factory which was then doing war work at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Chart used to train aircraft spotters in plane recognition from below at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
WWII poster designed to encourage women to work in factories at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Example of "utility furniture", which was produced during the 1940's under government restrictions limiting the quantity of materials which could be used, with simple but elegant designs at a reasonable price at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Television & radio cabinets for Murphy Radio designed by R.D. Russell using modern materials & industrial techniques at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Murphy Radio television set viewed from an inclined mirror in the lid, designed by R.D. Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
WWII poster designed to encourage women to work in factories at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Example of "utility furniture", which was produced during the 1940's under government restrictions limiting the quantity of materials which could be used, with simple but elegant designs at a reasonable price at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Television & radio cabinets for Murphy Radio designed by R.D. Russell using modern materials & industrial techniques (1930-1952) at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Murphy Radio television set (1937) viewed from an inclined mirror in the lid, designed by R.D. Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
"Utility" sideboard with doors veneered with rosewood and pattern produced by cutting through veneer to expose birch laminboard underneath, exhibited at the 1951 Festival of Britain, designed by David Booth at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Writing desk made with Indian rosewood veneer, a boxwood frieze & handles & a bog oak base, designed by Edin Minns at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Single pedestal desk in Macassar Ebony designed by R.D. Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.The Welbeck sideboard made mostly of Honduras mahogany with inlay of root ash on the door, designed by R.D. Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
"Utility" sideboard (1950) with doors veneered with rosewood and pattern produced (routed) by cutting through veneer to expose birch laminboard underneath, exhibited at the 1951 Festival of Britain, designed by David Booth at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Writing desk (1930) made with Indian rosewood veneer, a boxwood frieze & handles & a bog oak base, designed by Edin Minns at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Single pedestal desk in Macassar Ebony (1934) designed by R.D. Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.The Welbeck sideboard (1934) made mostly of Honduras mahogany with inlay of root ash on the door, designed by R.D. Russell at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
Bredon sideboard veneered in Brazilian rosewood with "swept" handles whose shape required the development of new production techniques, designed by Trevor Chinn, at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Set of stacking tables at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Molded rectangular dish by Ray Finch, Winchcombe Pottery at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Molded dish by Ray Finch, Winchcombe Pottery at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
Bredon sideboard (1975) veneered in Brazilian rosewood with "swept" handles whose shape required the development of new production techniques, designed by Trevor Chinn, at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Set of stacking tables at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Molded rectangular dish (1936) by Ray Finch, Winchcombe Pottery at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Molded dish (c1970) by Ray Finch, Winchcombe Pottery at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
Lusterware bowl by Alan Caiger-Smith, Aldermaston Pottery at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Raku pot by Bob Freeman at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Coffee set with red poppy design by Susie Cooper at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
Lusterware bowl (1971) by Alan Caiger-Smith, Aldermaston Pottery at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Raku pot (date unknown) by Bob Freeman at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.Coffee set with red poppy design by Susie Cooper at Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway, England.
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All photos on this page are originals by & copyrighted by Jim Steinhart.
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