Watts Gallery

Watts Gallery is an art gallery in the village of Compton, near Guildford in Surrey, and the centrepiece of a larger site known as Watts Gallery – Artists' Village. The 18-acre grounds hold a group of buildings connected with two people: the Victorian painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts and his wife, the artist and designer Mary Watts.

Why is Compton home to a gallery like this?

The couple first came to Compton in 1889 as guests of friends, and the visit changed their plans. Watts was advised by doctors to avoid London for the sake of his health, so a winter home was built in the village. The house and studio, called Limnerslease, was designed by Sir Ernest George and completed in 1891. What began as a private retreat grew into an Arts and Crafts complex, shaped largely by Mary Watts.

What is there to see?

The site brings together several parts of the story in one place:

• The gallery. Mary Watts began the gallery in the 1890s so that her husband's works could be displayed. It opened in 1904, the year George Watts died. It was also meant to provide space for apprentices working at the pottery she founded in 1898.
• Limnerslease. The former home and studio of George and Mary Watts. It was renovated and opened to visitors in January 2016, which completed the Artists' Village.
• The Watts Chapel. Mary offered, on behalf of her husband, to build a mortuary chapel for the parish in 1894. Villagers took part in decorating it: free clay-modelling classes were held every week, and the participants made the terracotta tiles that cover the exterior of the chapel. Sources give differing dates for its construction, so it is safest to say it was built in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

What makes it distinctive?

Few galleries let you see a painter's work, his home, his studio and a community project in the same walk. The chapel is the best-known Arts and Crafts element of the site, and its decoration came from local people rather than only from professional craftsmen. The gallery itself was renovated and reopened in 2011, and the later reopening of Limnerslease made the whole village of buildings visitable.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Watts Gallery? In Compton, a village near Guildford in Surrey, England. The coordinates are roughly 51.2214, -0.6289.

Who were George and Mary Watts? George Frederic Watts was a Victorian painter and sculptor. Mary Watts was an artist and designer who developed the gallery, the pottery and the chapel.

What is Limnerslease? It is the house and studio built for the couple and completed in 1891. It is now part of the Artists' Village.

Is the chapel part of the site? Yes. The Watts Chapel, with its terracotta decoration made by local villagers, belongs to the same Arts and Crafts story as the gallery and the house.

How much time should I plan? Because the site covers 18 acres and includes a gallery, a house and a chapel, it suits a relaxed half-day rather than a quick stop. Check the official website for opening hours and ticket details before you travel.

Is the site only about painting? No. Alongside paintings and sculpture, it presents design, pottery and community craft, which reflects the wide interests of Mary Watts in particular.