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Watts Cemetery Chapel is free to explore as part of your visit. It's a short walk from our Visitor Centre, on Down Lane.
This unique Grade I-listed terracotta building is the work of artist and designer Mary Watts. Over 70 people from the local community helped her create it between 1895 and 1904. It opened in 1898 and remains a working chapel to this day.
Clay tiles decorate the outside. They blend Celtic, Romanesque, and Art Nouveau influences. Inside the Chapel you will find one of the most important and experimental wall paintings in England.
The cemetery is more than 120 years old. It was laid out by Mary Watts between 1895 and 1898, with the help of Compton Parish Council.
'This miracle in terracotta stretches across the exterior of the building, where ancient symbols of hope, liberty and spirituality adorn buttresses, capitals and columns.' - World of Interiors
'This miracle in terracotta stretches across the exterior of the building, where ancient symbols of hope, liberty and spirituality adorn buttresses, capitals and columns.'
- World of Interiors
Open daily, 10am - 5pm. Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day and New Years Day.
Watts Cemetery Chapel may occasionally be closed for private services, please check opening times before visiting.
Visit Watts Cemetery Chapel as part of your visit to Watts Gallery - Artists' Village. Explore our galleries and historic home, where you can learn more about Mary and George Watts.
"It is growing every day less red, and the green enfolds it all so beautifully now, the trees are in leaf… A sweet resting place" - Mary Watts
"It is growing every day less red, and the green enfolds it all so beautifully now, the trees are in leaf… A sweet resting place"
- Mary Watts
"It is no exaggeration to say Watts Cemetery Chapel is one of the most beautiful, extraordinary, original, marvellous and magical buildings in the whole of the British Isles!" - Lucinda Lambton
"It is no exaggeration to say Watts Cemetery Chapel is one of the most beautiful, extraordinary, original, marvellous and magical buildings in the whole of the British Isles!"
- Lucinda Lambton