ART lovers in the area had reason to celebrate last Friday as the Watts Gallery at Compton became the first building to go through to the finals of BBC 2 series, Restoration Village. The gallery beat off fierce competition from Massey's Folly at Alton, and Tollesbury Granary in Essex, to be voted winner for the south east of England. It was revealed last Friday by presenter Griff Rhys Jones that the gallery, competing with 21 other buildings around the UK, had been chosen by the public to go through to the series' final and have a chance to be restored to its former glory. The beautiful Arts and Crafts building has been home to the British portrait painter George Watts' collection since 1903 and now remains the only purpose-built, one-man gallery in Britain. The gallery put forth its case to viewers on the programme to save the treasured building from damp, which was slowly destroying the delicate structure, and outlined costs exceeding £2 million, needed to restore the building. Saving the gallery will mean that the public, including local schools, can continue to make use of it in the future and its beauty and heritage can be preserved for future generations. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has set aside £1.9 million for the winning building, which will be fully restored and maintained from funds. The series has been praised for allowing the public to decide on where National Lottery Funding, through the HLF, should be spent. Sheena Vick, HLF manager for the South East, said: "Watts Gallery is a heritage star at the very heart of the community and now we're delighted that it has gone through to the final." Watts Gallery will now become one of the eight buildings to be featured in the grand final that will be held live at Singleton's Weald and Downland Air Museum in September. The curator of Watts Gallery, Mark Bills, said: "It's great news for Compton and great news for the nation. "It is been a real community effort and it underlines the importance of doing all we can to support and protect our heritage."
