Where is Watts Mortuary Chapel?

Watts Mortuary Chapel is in Surrey, South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode GU3 1DN), in the parish of Compton.

How do I get to Watts Mortuary Chapel?

The nearest railway station is Farncombe, about 3.0 km away. Drivers can use postcode GU3 1DN.

When was Watts Mortuary Chapel built?

Built or established in 1898. Designed by Mary Fraser Tytler.

Is Watts Mortuary Chapel a listed building?

Watts Mortuary Chapel is officially recognised as Grade I listed.

Is Watts Mortuary Chapel a protected site?

Yes — Watts Mortuary Chapel is part of the WEALDEN HEATHS National Nature Reserve and the Surrey Hills National Landscape (AONB).

Is Watts Mortuary Chapel free to visit?

Yes, Watts Mortuary Chapel is free to enter.

How do I get to Watts Mortuary Chapel?

The nearest railway station is Farncombe, about 3.0 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode GU3 1DN.

Chapels · South East England

Watts Mortuary Chapel

In or near Farncombe.

Free admission

Watts Mortuary Chapel — a Grade I-listed chapel in england-south-east, United Kingdom.

A terracotta angel, Watts Chapel, Compton, Surrey - geograph.org.uk - 7619493 — pam fray — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit: 20 min–45 min
Nearest railway station: Farncombe · 3.0 km

Free entry

Getting there & planning your visit

Watts Mortuary Chapel is located in Guildford, Surrey, with the postcode GU3 1DN. The nearest railway station is Farncombe, which is 3 km away. Entry to the chapel is free.

Directions on Google Maps →

Watts Mortuary Chapel is a Grade I-listed building in england-south-east, United Kingdom. Grade I status is conferred by Historic England (or Cadw, Historic Environment Scotland or NIEA equivalents) on buildings of exceptional national interest. See the linked Wikipedia article for full historical and architectural details.

Photo gallery

Protected designations

National Nature Reserve: WEALDEN HEATHS
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Surrey Hills

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

The Watts Cemetery Chapel or Watts Mortuary Chapel is a chapel in a Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style) version of Celtic Revival in the village cemetery of Compton in Surrey. The designer was Mary Fraser Tytler, an artist resident in the village, who married the painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts. While the overall architectural structure is loosely Romanesque Revival, the lavish decoration in terracotta relief carving and paintings is Celtic Revival, on an unusually large scale. According to the local council, it is "a unique concoction of art nouveau, Celtic, Romanesque and Egyptian influence with Mary's own original style". Other responses have been less positive. Ian Nairn, in the 1971 Surrey volume of the Buildings of England series, described the interior as "one of the most soporific rooms in England" and regretted "the intolerable torpor and weariness of the motifs". It is a Grade I listed building.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

When Compton Parish Council created a new cemetery, local resident artist Mary Fraser Tytler, the wife of Victorian era painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts, offered to design and build a new mortuary chapel. The Wattses had recently built a house, "Limnerslease", a few hundred yards away, now part of the Watts Gallery. Tytler was a follower of the Home Arts and Industries Association, set up by Earl Brownlow in 1885 to encourage handicrafts among the lower classes, and the chapel was the Wattses' contribution to this characteristically Victorian preoccupation with social improvement through creative enlightenment. Each member of Fraser Tytler's evening class, led by Louis Deuchars,…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates: 51.2178, -0.6321
County: Surrey
District: Guildford
Parish: Compton
Postcode: GU3 1DN
Parliamentary constituency: Godalming and Ash
Established: 1898
Nearest railway station: Farncombe — 3 km

Sources

wikidata: Q7975034 (CC0)
wikipedia: Watts Cemetery Chapel (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Other places nearby

♿👶↗ wattsgallery.org.uk

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