I must confess that I’d never heard of the Watts Cemetery Chapel before our visit there a few months ago. The little building doesn’t appear to be well known, either locally or nationally. Maybe that’s because it’s hidden away in deepest, darkest Surrey, on the outskirts of a little village, languishing on a road to nowhere. Or maybe because it was designed by a woman, and has therefore – until quite recently – been under-appreciated by the male-dominated architectural establishment?
The designer in question is Mary Watts (1849-1938). She was the wife of George Frederic Watts (G F Watts, 1817-1904), one of the most accomplished painters and sculptors of Victorian Britain. Mary was herself a hugely talented artist, and when their village decided to create a cemetery to increase the capacity of the local graveyard she saw an opportunity to push herself further than she’d ever been pushed before. She offered to build for the village a mortuary chapel, which is a consecrated space in which bodies of the dead can lie briefly before burial or cremation. Mary’s loving husband, 33 years her senior and significantly wealthy thanks to his successful career as an artist, provided financial backing for the project.
The Chapel was built between 1895 and 1904, with a floorplan that is best described as a circle intersected by a cross. Mary’s work oozes with mystical symbolism, and the floorplan is just one example. She described it as “the Circle of Eternity, with the Cross of Faith running through it.”
From the outside, the Chapel looks like a Byzantine or Orthodox Church that has been lifted intact from its place of origin and incongruously deposited two thousands miles away in the leafy Surrey hills. It is built from small bricks made from a local red clay, and the exterior is decorated with a variety of intricate terracotta panels. These boast a complex array of symbols derived from Celtic, Romanesque, Jewish and Egyptian traditions.
Magnificent though it is, the external appearance of the building gives no clue to the wonders that lie within. The walls and vaulted ceiling are totally covered with rich, vibrant decoration. The senses are assaulted by the range of colours, by the glitter of gold and silver, and by a magical, metallic lustre. Angels stand in a circle around the walls, and in the centre of each group of them rises a Tree of Life, its roots entwined below like the arms of a crazed octopus. Above each group, a Seraph (a form of high-status angel) clad in “the crimson colour of love and life” raises its hands in a sign of blessing.
Taken as a whole, externally and internally, the Watts Cemetery Chapel is truly mind-blowing, so it is no surprise that the noted writer and broadcaster on architectural matter, Lucinda Lambton, wrote this about it:
‘It is no exaggeration to say that the Watts Cemetery Chapel is one of the most beautiful, one of the most extraordinary, original, marvellous and magical buildings in the whole of the British Isles!’
Lucinda Lambton
Interestingly, the decoration of the Chapel was a community endeavour. Mary encouraged local people to explore their own creative potential by getting them involved in making some of the external terracotta panels and internal decorative features. The faces that decorate parts of the vaulted ceiling are cherubim and are representations of local children who helped with the project.
Work on the project was completed in 1904, the same year that Mary’s husband G F Watts died. Appropriately, the casket containing his ashes was displayed in the Chapel, before later being buried in the cemetery. The Chapel, and the adjoining cemetery, continue to be used to this day. It is good to know that this wonderful, Grade I Listed building is not simply a tourist attraction, but continues to be used for its originally intended purposes. Long may it continue.
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Postscript: To learn a little more about the Chapel please view this brief video produced by the Watts Gallery Artists Village.
Now I'm 64 
What an interesting place to find and visit – quite charming.
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Absolutely, I’ve never seen anything like it!
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What an extraordinarily beautiful building and so wonderfully decorated and isn’t it heartening to read that is it still in use.
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And it was such a surprise. When we visited I didn’t know just what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t that. Wow!
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Quite a building. It’s amazing that the townspeople helped create some of the decorative elements.
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It’s a really nice touch, I think…art by, and also for, the people. And all the more poignant as many of the villagers who involved would doubtless one day be briefly laid to rest in the building before burial in the adjoining cemetery.
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The building is magnificent and its history and builder sound fascinating. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
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Mary Watts definitely deserves to be better known. It seems to me she’s a genuine unsung hero (or should that be heroine?) of the British art/architecture scene.
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At least she is getting credit now for this remarkable creation. Better late than never!
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Yes, I totally agree!
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It’s a stunningly beautiful building, and how wonderful that local people, especially children, were involved in the decoration of it.
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Almost always, architecture is “done to people” rather than with them. The involvement of the local community in this project was as extraordinary as it was laudable. Mary Watts was clearly a visionary, way ahead of her time.
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Extraordinary in every sense. I sure do wish I lived closer so that I could visit. A funny coincidence…I am reading Andrew Taylor’s Ashes of London series, set in the 1600s. One of the characters, Cat Lovett, longs to be an architect, but is held back because she is a woman.
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I’m sure you’d love it! I’m not familiar with the series you mention, but will watch out for it. Cat’s predicament definitely rings true. I guess things are better now…I hope!
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What a delightful and beautiful find. Stunning inside. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you, so pleased to know that this struck a chord with you!
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Hidden gem! The chapel decorations are stunning!
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Absolutely. It’s truly wonderful!
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