📍 Broadway
Gordon Russell Design Museum
Independent design museum in Broadway celebrating the life and furniture of Sir Gordon Russell, with affordable children's entry and a link to the Court Barn Museum in Chipping Campden.
✦ We visited
A well-kept stop compared with the busier Cotswolds attractions nearby. The collection is genuinely beautiful, and the very low children's admission makes it easy to include alongside a walk through Broadway. Best for families whose children have some interest in craft, design or the story of how everyday things are made.
The Gordon Russell Design Museum sits in the heart of Broadway and tells the story of one of Britain's most significant twentieth-century furniture designers. Sir Gordon Russell grew up in this Cotswold village, took over the family furniture workshop and went on to shape British design from the 1930s through the postwar years, serving on the committees that defined the Festival of Britain and directing the Council of Industrial Design.
The permanent collection spans furniture, drawings and archive material from across Russell's career and that of the company he built, tracing the evolution from Cotswold craft workshop to national design institution. The displays are handsome and well-paced, and changing exhibitions alongside the permanent galleries mean there is usually something new on a return visit. Children under 16 pay just £1, making this one of the most affordable quality museums in the Cotswolds.
A ticket here comes with a buy-one-get-one-free offer at Court Barn Museum in Chipping Campden, which tells the earlier chapter of the same story through the Arts and Crafts movement. The two together make a good pair for a day in the North Cotswolds. Broadway itself is worth time before or after the visit, with a long village green, good independent shops and cafes, and the tower and country park on the hill above the village for a longer day out.
Good for: arts, history, rainy-day. Ages: 5–7, 8–11, 12+.
Good to know
Who was Gordon Russell?
Sir Gordon Russell was a furniture designer who grew up in Broadway and became one of Britain's most influential twentieth-century designers, shaping the Festival of Britain and postwar British design.
How much does it cost to visit the Gordon Russell Design Museum?
Adults pay around £5 and children under 16 pay from £1. Check the website for current prices and any seasonal offers.
Is the Gordon Russell Design Museum linked to Court Barn in Chipping Campden?
Yes, a ticket to the Gordon Russell Museum gives buy-one-get-one-free entry to Court Barn Museum in Chipping Campden, which tells the earlier Arts and Crafts story in the same area.
