Henry Russell moved his family to Reading and then to Brighton while extensive renovations were undertaken at Swallowfield between 1824 and 1826. The long-suffering Charles, unsurprisingly, stepped in to supervise in Henry’s absence, as he had done at the Hyderabad Residency. Although Sir Henry Russell received rents from Swallowfield and was an occasional guest there, it was Henry and Clotilde Russell – together with their six surviving children – who made this house their home. Charles, who served as a Tory MP for Reading for many years, was a constant visitor, and continued to work in harness with Henry to made Swallowfield a venerable English family seat.