Compton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

district of

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, England. It is between

Godalming Godalming is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settleme ...

and

. It has a medieval church and a close connection to fine art and pottery, being the later life home of artist

George Frederic Watts George Frederic Watts (23 February 1817, in London – 1 July 1904) was a British painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. He said "I paint ideas, not things." Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical work ...

. The parish has considerable woodland and agricultural land, and the undeveloped portions are in the

Metropolitan Green Belt The Metropolitan Green Belt is a statutory green belt around London, England. It comprises parts of Greater London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey, parts of two of the three districts of Bedfordshire and a s ...

. The village is traversed by the

North Downs Way The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ...

and has a large western

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

. Central to the village are the

Watts Gallery Watts Gallery – Artists' Village is an art gallery in the village of Compton, near Guildford in Surrey. It is dedicated to the work of the Victorian-era painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts. The gallery has been Grade II* listed on th ...

, the cemetery chapel commissioned by his wife for him, two

inns Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accomm ...

and the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Geography

The village is just off the Compton junction of the

A3 road The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road or London Road in sections, is a major road connecting the City of London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classified ...

and is crossed parallel to its linear street by the

. Compton contains the

Watts Mortuary Chapel The Watts Cemetery Chapel or Watts Mortuary Chapel is a chapel in an Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style) version of Celtic Revival in the village cemetery of Compton in Surrey. While the overall architectural structure is loosely Romanesque ...

, built to the memory of

Symbolist Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

painter

, a resident of the village. Development can be classed as

ribbon development Ribbon development refers to the building of houses along the routes of communications radiating from a human settlement. The resulting linear settlements are clearly visible on land use maps and aerial photographs, giving cities and the countrysid ...

around the through road. The 2001 census gives a population of 972 living in 384 households. The maximum elevation is on the

Hog's Back The Hog's Back is a hilly ridge, part of the North Downs in Surrey, England. It runs between Farnham in the west and Guildford in the east. Name Compared with the main part of the Downs to the east of it, it is a narrow elongated ridge, hence ...

at 152m, the minimum at a small brook flowing east of the village centre, at its lowest on outflow at 45m above sea level. The western part of the village forms a conservation area (as well as a very small eastern part between The Avenue and Compton Wood).

History

Relics from the structure of the tower of the village's church, St Nicholas', suggest that the area was settled during the period of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

occupation of Britain. Compton appears in

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 as ''Conton(e)''. It was held by Walter, son of Othere. Its domesday assets were: 11 hides; 1 church, 9

plough A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...

s, of

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...

. It rendered £9. St Nicholas' Church contains one of the oldest surviving carved

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

screens. The basic structure, including the tower, is

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

, but it has been much altered over the centuries. For example, the influence of the Normans can be seen in the arches, the timber roofing (thought to date back to 1165) and the unique carved wooden screen in the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

. Other features were added in the generations that followed, such as the spire (14th century), the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

and the clock (17th century). The church is grade I. On the outskirts of Compton is the 16th century

stately home An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

Loseley Park Loseley Park is a large Tudor manor house with later additions and modifications south-west of Guildford, Surrey, England, in Artington close to the hamlet of Littleton. The estate was acquired by the direct ancestors of the current owners, the ...

. The Great Hall contains panelling taken from

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

's palace at

Nonsuch Park Nonsuch Park is a public park between Stoneleigh, Cheam, and Ewell in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. It is adjacent to the boundary of the London Borough of Sutton. It is the last surviving part of the Little Park of Nons ...

. The Withies Inn is one of the oldest buildings in the village. Just off the main road, it was built in the 16th century. The manor of Field Place was bought in 1709 by the London publisher

Samuel Manship Samuel Manship was an English stationer and bookseller in the City of London who acted as publisher for several noted writers and became a landowner in Surrey. Life Born about 1665, he was the second son of the Reverend John Manship (1612–168 ...

(1665-1720), passing to his widow Anne and then their son John. His son John only had one child Anne, who eloped, and the manor was sold. The ashes of

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxley ...

were brought from the US on 27 October 1971 and interred in his parents' grave at Watts Cemetery.

George Frederic Watts

One of Compton’s most decorated residents by his profession was the artist who was primarily a painter,

, who lived his later life at a house he called "Limnerslease", close to which is the early 20th century

, dedicated to his work. The gallery is open to visitors. After his death,

and cloister designed by his wife

Mary Seton Watts Mary Seton Fraser Tytler (married name Mary Seton Watts) (1849–1938) was a symbolist craftswoman, designer and social reformer. Biography Watts, née Fraser-Tytler, was born on 25 November 1849, in India. She was the daughter of Charles Edward ...

were built on a hill overlooking the village. Among his subjects were ''Hope'' (part of his "House of Life" cycle), ''

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...

and

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice') was a character in Greek mythology and the Auloniad wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several meanings for the name ...

'' and ''

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...

''.

Potteries

The

Compton Potters' Arts Guild The Compton Potters' Arts Guild was an art pottery, founded by and based at the Surrey home of Scottish artist, Mary Fraser Tytler. Background A follower of the Home Arts and Industries Association, set up by Earl Brownlow in 1885 to encoura ...

was formed in 1899 by Mary Fraser-Tytler (her name before marriage to G. F. Watts) and initially used a source of local clay discovered during the building of Limnerslease. It continued until 1954. Artist and historian

Mary Wondrausch Mary Wondrausch (17 December 1923 – 26 December 2016) was an English artist, potter, historian and writer, born in Chelsea, London, Chelsea. She trained as a potter at Farnham School of Art, latterly West Surrey College of Art and Design. S ...

lived and worked in the parish at the site of a former brickworks. Made of local

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

from the foundations of the pottery of

, sculptor

Jon Edgar Jon Edgar is a British sculptor of the Frink School. Improvisation is an important part of his reductive working process and developed from the additive working process of Alan Thornhill. Final works are often autobiographical, perhaps referenc ...

Compton Triptych image:Compton-triptych-2011-terracotta-sculptor-Jon-Edgar.jpg, 300px, ''Compton Triptych'' The Compton Triptych comprises three terracotta portrait heads, plinthed together, which celebrates the parish of Compton, Guildford, and the diverse figures ...

was unveiled in November 2011. The three terracotta heads celebrate the parish of Compton and the diverse figures who have contributed to this community.

Literature

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

's novels ''

Sir Nigel ''Sir Nigel'' is a historical novel set during the early phase of the Hundred Years' War, spanning the years 1350 to 1356. It was written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in serial form during 1905–06 where it was ill ...

'' and ''

The White Company ''The White Company'' is a historical adventure by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, set during the Hundred Years' War. The story is set in England, France and Spain, in the years 1366 and 1367, against the background of the campaign of Edward ...

'' refer to the key characters Nigel Loring and Mary Loring, their daughter Maude and her husband Alleyne Edricson, 'their children and children’s children' as having their dust laid unmarked and unbrassed before the steps of the ancient altar of Compton Church. The archer Samkin Aylward is marked by a mound near the old yew in the churchyard. A production company was registered in late 1960s until the 1970s as Sir Nigel Films/Compton Films and produced ''The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes''. Compton is the home village of characters described in

Freeman Wills Crofts Freeman Wills Crofts FRSA (1 June 1879 – 11 April 1957) was an Irish mystery author, best remembered for the character of Inspector Joseph French. A railway engineer by training, Crofts introduced railway themes into many of his stories, whi ...

' 1933 murder mystery ''The Hog's Back Mystery''.

Demography and housing

The proportion of households in Compton who owned their home outright was 8% above the regional average. The proportion who owned their home with a loan was 3.6% lower than the regional average; social housing formed 13.7% of homes, providing overall a greater proportion of social rented housing and lower proportion of privately rented housing relative to the average of

, the district and of the United Kingdom. The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%.

Politics

Compton is in

Guildford (UK Parliament constituency) Guildford is a constituency in Surrey represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Angela Richardson, a Conservative. Constituency profile The seat covers Guildford itself and a more rural area within the Surrey H ...

, which since its inception has fluctuated between political parties. Local government is administered by

Guildford Borough Council Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildfo ...

and

Surrey County Council Surrey County Council is the county council administering certain services in the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1965 the Conservative Party has ...

. At

, one of the 81 representatives represents the area within the ''Shalford'' division.Electoral Divisions
Surrey County Council. Retrieved 6 November 2013 At

small wards of the borough are deemed appropriate to be best represented under the current constitution of councillors by two councillors.Your local councillors

. Retrieved 20 November 2013

References

Sources

*Forster, David. (2001). ''AA 50 Walks in Surrey.''

External links

Compton WebsiteWatts GalleryCompton Village Club
* {{authority control Villages in Surrey Borough of Guildford Civil parishes in Surrey