Meanings and Representations

How has Compton been represented in the past and today? – How has this influenced people’s perceptions?

What sources of information can you use?

Interviews
News Articles
Search the internet – Twitter/Facebook/Compton Village website
Photographs
Fieldwork observations –qualitative and quantitative

Some sources of information…

Compton village is located a short distance from the A3 with the B3000 running through it.
St Nicholas church is tucked away in a secluded corner of the village; access is gained from the east through a steep path, which runs through the well looked after churchyard.
Compton has become well known through its association with the painter G.F. Watts, who lived at Limnerslease in Down Lane. When he passed away his widow, Mary had a memorial chapel and cloister built on top of a hill overlooking the village. The red brick chapel is built in the shape of a Greek cross and is reached by a winding tree lined path; Watts is buried in the cloister. Further along the lane is Watts Gallery, which has many of the artist’s works on display.

Compton is a pretty rural village positioned close to the Hogs Back Hill in the County of Surrey, and is home to just over nine hundred and sixty people. The village dates far back in time and there is evidence of a Bronze Age settlement nearby. A stroll around the village will reveal an impressive Norman church with Saxon origins that's dedicated to St Nicholas; inside the church visitors can see the oldest glass within a church in the UK, and there's also Roman tiles in the tower. The ancient track of the Pilgrims Way saw the Crusading Knights of St John visit here. Walkers will not be disappointed to discover footpaths which journey across attractive countryside, the North Downs Way and the stunning Surrey Hills. There is a charming mix of architecture within the village from ancient period houses and cottages, and 16th Century half timber framed houses. The main industry of the village has been linked with agriculture, although during the 18th and 19th Centuries Smugglers thrived in the area and hid their illegal contraband of rum and tobacco nearby. Although the Smugglers have gone, visitors today may still find the odd treasure within the antique shops, or a drop of rum in the two Inns, one of which dates back to the 16th century.

Twitter…

Changes over time

Compton goes back to Saxon times, the name indicating a farmstead (“tun”) in a hollow between hills (“cwm”). As you walk through, you have a strong feeling of soul and community stretching back the four hundred or so years of many of these venerable houses. Compton and its church were one of the places that the pilgrims visited on their way to Canterbury. Perhaps the only thing that mars the peace is the busy road running through the village

St Nicholas church is 500 years older than any of the other buildings in Compton. Inside the church you see Norman pillars and arches carved from chalk found on the nearby Hogs Back

Old Photographs – can they provide an insight into changes in the village?

Old Photos and more on the village website:

The Village website and newsletter…

See July 2017 for a newcomer’s view to Compton.
Check out the Resident’s Forum – anything interesting there?
How can you find out other people’s perceptions of Compton?

The Role of Watts Gallery

'I want Compton to be an example of what God's acre might be.' — Mary Watts, 23 February 1906