A Hidden Arts & Crafts Masterpiece
If you love your architecture with an Arts & Crafts look and your Medieval and Celtic motifs with a Pre-Raphaelite twist, you will love the Watts Chapel and Cemetery in Compton near Guildford in Surrey.
Designed by Mary Watts and financed by her husband, George Frederick Watts OM, RA, it was constructed and decorated over a period of 3 years – 1895 to 1898 - with the help of local women who were attending Mary’s class in terracotta tile-making.
Every surface is crammed with intricate pattern, gorgeous colour and beautifully modelled figures, scenes, creatures and foliage that sweep up to a stunning vaulted ceiling.
The Chapel is just a stone’s throw from The Watts Gallery and Artists Village, where you can view the largest collection of works by G F Watts, learn about materials and methods, make your own Art, see conservation in progress or purchase works by new Artists, so there’s plenty for the Art Lover in the area. Just make sure you take a stroll down to the Chapel – it’s truly inspirational.
