Watts Gallery

I went off to Compton in Surrey today on a little bit of business that turned out to be a whole lot of pleasure.

I visited the Watts gallery there which has recently reopened after a very expensive renovation project. The small gallery is full of the work of "The greatest painter of the Victorian age" George Frederic Watts.

Close by is the most extraordinary chapel built by his wife Mary, heavily decorated in a celtic art nouveau hybrid style. A strangely eerie and moving place, with exquisite internal decoration. I don't want to be over descriptive about it, as I hope you might be interested enough to find out more and maybe visit.

Many of the paintings were moving and beautiful, but my favourite was quite ethereal and peaceful, and quite appropriate for the difficult times we are all facing at the moment.

                                                                               Hope
                                          On loan from a private collection but only for a short while.