Suggested Itineraries
Staff Away Day (full day hire): We can create a bespoke experience to suit any time frame and budget for you and your team. The itinerary below gives an idea of the kind of service we can provide.
Morning
Begin your day by taking tea and coffee with tea cakes in the Tea Shop. Enjoy a talk on the artist G F Watts in the beautifully restored Isabel Goldsmith Patino Gallery surrounded by Watts’s masterpieces. Follow your talk with a guided tour of the collection and special exhibitions. Opening exhibitions will include ‘Art for the Nation: Watts and the Tate’ displaying a number of masterpieces from the Tate and ‘Hope’ focuses on Watts’s most famous painting. After your tours visit the Watts Gallery Archives for an exclusive viewing of rarely seen drawings by G.F. Watts and Mary Watts’s Chapel notebook.
Break for a delicious cold buffet lunch made at the Tea Shop.
Afternoon
Learn more about Mary Watts, Compton Pottery and the Arts and Crafts masterpiece that is Watts Cemetery Chapel. Take a short walk to Watts Cemetery Chapel for a guided tour of the stunning interior and exterior, where you can learn about the complex symbolism of the decoration. Following your tour, return to the Tea Shop for a traditional afternoon cream tea served with fresh scones, jam and cream. Complete your day by taking a leisurely look around the Watts Gallery Shop which is stocked with a variety of books and quality gifts.
Evening drinks reception: Take an exclusive tour of the latest exhibitions complimented by a champagne reception and canapés - an ideal way to impress important clients or network in style.
Chilled drinks and delicious canapes are ready to welcome guests into the faithfully restored interiors of the historic galleries. In warmer weather drinks receptions can take place on the lawn, with the beautiful Arts and Crafts Gallery as a backdrop. Exclusive tours of the temporary exhibition spaces a give a deeper insight into the special exhibitions on show. Guests will also be granted exclusive access to the Sculpture Gallery where they can view the impressive ‘Physical Energy’, one of Watts’s greatest masterpieces. The evening will be concluded with a final toast back in the historic galleries.
Dinner and Drinks at Watts Gallery: The perfect way to celebrate a special occasion.
Guests are greeted with a glass of champagne in the Livanos and Long Galleries where they can mingle amongst some of Watts’ most famous masterpieces. A string quartet will provide ambient music from the Graham Robertson Gallery. A knowlegeable guide will provide an exclusive introductory talk on the Gallery and collection. Following the talk, guests are seated for an exquisite three course dinner in the Isabel Goldsmith Patino Gallery. After dinner a musical recital in the Long Gallery completes the evenings entertainments.
Full Day Business Meeting: Enjoy the benefits of holding your meeting at one of the finest small Galleries in Europe.
Tea, coffee and tea cakes are ready to welcome delegates as they arrive and are seated in the Seminar Room. For the meeting a projector screen, projector and laptop are available and can be set up in advance if required.
Lunch is served at the Tea Shop where a selection of freshly made hot and cold lunches, made from locally sourced ingredients will be available. During their lunch break delegates also have time to take advantage of their free entrance to the Gallery, and can explore the restored gallery and exhibitions, before continuing their meeting.
The mid-afternoon break will be held in the Tea Shop, where a choice of teas, coffees and scones will be served. Delegates can also take the short walk to the Watts Cemetery Chapel to explore its exquisite interiors before the conclusion of their meeting.
Seminar and Drinks Reception: Host a seminar with a difference by following it up with a drinks reception and exclusive tour of the newly restored Gallery, permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.
Delegates arrive for the seminar in the Isabel Goldsmith Patino Gallery where state of the art technology has been installed to facilitate the meeting. Once the seminar has finished delegates are welcomed into the Livanos and Weston Galleries to enjoy a drinks reception.
Wine and canapés are circulated as guests can enjoy a chance to discuss their day and network amongst the newly restored historical galleries. The organiser can also choose the additional option of granting guests exclusive access to the Exhibitions and Sculpture Galleries where delegates can take a tour of the opening exhibitions ; ‘Painting for the Nation: G.F. Watts and the Tate’ and ‘Hope: World Icon’, which explores one of Watts’ most famous masterpieces.
