The Legacy of G. F. Watts
Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village in the village of Compton is one of Surrey’s most remarkable cultural treasures. It was established in 1904 by the Victorian painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts and his wife Mary, who together created a unique artistic community on the slopes of the Hog’s Back. The gallery houses the world’s largest collection of Watts’s paintings, drawings and sculptures, offering a comprehensive survey of an artist once ranked alongside Frederic Leighton and Edward Burne–Jones.
A major Heritage Lottery–funded restoration completed in 2011 returned the gallery and its grounds to their Edwardian splendour. Today visitors can explore the original picture gallery, a purpose–built exhibition space for temporary shows, artists’ studios and the beautiful hillside gardens that Mary Watts designed as an integral part of the experience.
The Watts Chapel & Grounds
The jewel in the crown is the Watts Mortuary Chapel, a Grade I listed masterpiece of Art Nouveau design created by Mary Watts between 1896 and 1904. Its interior, covered entirely in elaborate gesso and terracotta decoration inspired by Celtic, Romanesque and Egyptian motifs, is unlike anything else in England and draws visitors from around the world.
The surrounding grounds include a sculpture trail, a pottery where visitors can try their hand at clay work, a shop selling local artisan products and a well–regarded tearoom. The Artists’ Village runs a year–round programme of workshops, artist residencies and family activities, making it far more than a conventional gallery – it is a living creative community in the Surrey Hills.
