The Watts Gallery at Compton

I had never heard of George and Mary Watts but, as they were an artistic couple who had lived nearby (during Victorian times) and established a craft village, I thought I ought to find out a little about them and what they did.



Anyway, husband and I became 'friends of the gallery' for a year to check out the exhibitions and have paid a couple of visits there now. This is a taster of what we found...

A building which, on the outside looks quite colourless and unprepossessing and low but on the inside...

is a riot of colour and archway, quality and grandeur

It houses permanent and temporary exhibitions and these are part of the permanent ones. As he was an eminent Victorian painter, many of his works are heavy and full of symbolism and death...

but some are have such a detail and lightness that its fascinating to think paint can be made to do that!

It was certainly an unexpected place (quality gift shop and VERY enthusiastic and kind staff - all volunteers too!) .

The sculpture gallery contains some absolutely HUGE pieces...

and the people they knew sounds like a who's who of the Victorian era.

For a sense of scale on this one, the picture on the wall beside the sculpture is eye height (Tennyson contemplating a flower in his hand as his dog waits).

So far that's mostly his work, next time some of hers.