- Compton, Guildford
-
Not to be confused with Compton, Waverley.
Coordinates: 51°12′50″N 0°37′57″W / 51.2138°N 0.6325°W
Compton 
Compton
Compton shown within SurreyPopulation less than 5,000 OS grid reference SU958468 Parish Compton District Guildford Shire county Surrey Region South East Country England Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town GUILDFORD Postcode district GU3 Dialling code 01483 Police Surrey Fire Surrey Ambulance South East Coast EU Parliament South East England UK Parliament Guildford List of places: UK • England • Surrey 
Withies Inn
Compton is a village and civil parish in the Guildford district of Surrey, England. It is situated between Godalming and Guildford. The village is close to the A3 road and is crossed by the North Downs Way. Compton contains the Watts Mortuary Chapel, built to the memory of Symbolist painter George Frederic Watts, a resident of the village. The census area of Compton is within Shalford ward and contains 5,161 people.[1]
Contents
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 occupation of Britain. Compton appears in Domesday Book of as Conton(e). It was held by Walter, son of Othere. Its domesday assets were: 11 hides; 1 church, 9 ploughs, 7 acres (28,000 m2) of meadow. It rendered £9.[2]
St Nicholas' Church contains one of the oldest surviving carved Norman screens. The basic structure, including the tower, is Anglo-Saxon, 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. Other features were added in the generations that followed, such as the spire (14th century), the pulpit and the clock (17th century).
On the outskirts of Compton is the 16th century stately home Loseley Park. The Great Hall contains panelling taken from Henry VIII's palace at Nonsuch Park.
The Withies Inn is one of the oldest buildings in the village. Just off the main road, it was built in the 16th century.
George Frederic Watts
One of Compton’s best known residents was the painter George Frederic Watts who lived at a house called "Limnerslease", close to which the Watts Gallery, dedicated to his work, was built. The gallery is open to visitors. After his death, Watts Mortuary Chapel and cloister designed by his wife Mary Seton Watts were built on a hill overlooking the village.
Potteries and clay
The Compton Potters' Arts Guild 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 lives and works in the parish[3] at the site of a former brickworks.
Notable connections
The ashes of Aldous Huxley were brought from America on 27 October 1971 and interred in his parents' grave at Compton, Surrey.
References
- ^ Census data
- ^ Surrey Domesday Book
- ^ Brickfields : My Life at Brickfields As a Potter, Painter, Gardener, Writer and Cook (2004) Wondrausch, Mary ISBN 0-9548237-0-2
Sources
- Forster, David. (2001). AA 50 Walks in Surrey.
External links
- Compton Website
Media related to Compton, Surrey at Wikimedia Commons
Towns, villages and hamlets in the Guildford District of Surrey, England 
Albury · Artington · Ash · Ash Vale · Burntcommon · Burpham · Chilworth · Compton · East Clandon · East Horsley · Effingham · Fairlands · Farley Green · Gomshall · Guildford · Jacobs Well · Merrow · Normandy · Ockham · Onslow Village · Peaslake · Pirbright · Puttenham · Ripley · Seale · Shalford · Send · Shere · St Martha · Stoughton · Tongham · Wanborough · West Clandon · West Horsley · Wisley · Wood Street Village · WorplesdonCategories:- Villages in Surrey
- Guildford
- Civil parishes in Surrey
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