Sir Gordon Russell

At school, were you taught anything of arts and crafts, or was this an outside influence in your life?

I think really the actual teaching in the school was of no value at all, but the ability to walk down the main street of Chipping Camden and look at the buildings and look at things that were happening … was a great education, and particularly at that time because CR Ashby had just brought his Guild of Handicraft down from the Milen Road, sixty craftsmen, sculptors, woodcarvers, gilders, enamellers, silversmiths and so on.

Did these [wartime] experiences bring about any major change in your ideas on life?

Oh yes. I think one couldn't possibly have that … experience and be left unmoved. … first of all, the terrible destruction of life and of … splendid towns which can't be replaced at all … struck me as something so frightful that one had got to see what could be done in the way of making a contribution oneself to something creative. I didn't want to simply be in charge of a shop repairing old furniture.

So what was your contribution to be?

The effort was to see whether I could make some furniture. First of all, furniture for the Ligan Arms, simple things like beds and so on. I wanted to make straightforward furniture that could be used, that wasn't an imitation of old work, but was of a very high quality.