THE CHANDOS FOUNDATION

Peace through understanding and cooperation

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ABOUT THE HOUSE  /  THE PAINTING COLLECTION



ABOUT CHANDOS LODGE


Chandos Lodge was built on the site of a former two-bedroom bungalow believed to be of the mid 19th Century (no one can quite agree). We wanted a light-filled house that was both modern and energy efficient (carbon zero), while respecting the local style. The Norfolk vernacular here is for rendered houses, many with terracotta tiled roofs, so this resulted in a bit of a hybrid design.


The Lodge was funded in part by the generosity of Sean Wong and his family from Hong Kong and also by the Chandos Foundation, set up by the Russell family to promote a more united and peaceful world. Long after the death of Anthony’s father Rodney Russell, his widow Pamela generously supported the Foundation. 


So it seemed fitting to fill the lodge with their wonderful paintings, as testament both to their remarkable artistic collaboration and to remember two individuals deeply in love and committed to fostering a better world.


The lodge was therefore intended as a peaceful haven, not just for anyone resting from a frenetic world but for all nature.


It also seems right that the lodge should sit in the country of so many artists they admired as part of the great tradition of East Anglian painting. The lodge is in striking distance of The Dutch House, once home of their friend & fellow artist Edward Seago, while also near Castle House in the Dedham Vale, home of Sir Alfred Munnings, an artist they equally respected and the mentor of Seago.




THE PAINTING COLLECTION – Rodney and Pamela Russell


Born in 1918, Rodney Fryer Russell studied at the Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL), before the war and then at the Slade School of Fine Art after, winning the Paris Scholarship in 1950. A member of the Royal Watercolour Society, he was also a poet and published a collection of his works in the volume ‘Sacred is the Dust’.


He married his fourth wife, Pamela in 1967 and together they moved to Manston House, his ancestor's home in Dorset, where they both painted landscapes and portraits, the latter often on the same canvas. Born in 1934, Pamela (née Till), had studied portraiture under Pietro Annigoni in the studio of 'La Signorina', Nerina Simi in Florence.


They travelled all over Europe painting the scenery they adored and in Dorset they regularly held exhibitions in aid of Cancer Research. Rodney Russell died in 1996 and Pamela in 2018. Despite continuing her charitable work, Pamela never recovered from the loss of her soulmate. They are buried together at Corfe Castle in Dorset.



THE RED BUOY, MENTON HARBOUR