The best exhibitions to see in and around Surrey
With talented local artists and fascinating history, Surrey is brimming with exciting and educational exhibitions. Here are some of our favourites...
ALEX IRWIN, SPORTOGRAPHY
1. The Sculpture Park
📍 Jumps Rd GU10 2LB
- Open 10 am-5 pm daily
- Prices are £15 for adults, £10 concession, and children under five free
This one is a little different from your usual exhibition. The art displayed in this woodland area has an everchanging collection of over 600 sculptures from various artists- and they are all available to buy!
The sculptures offer an eclectic mixture of materials, colours, shapes and styles, displaying an incredible array of artistic flair.
Situated a whisper away from the ethereal landscapes of the Devil's Punchbowl and Frensham Pond, the Sculpture Park has gorgeous scenery in and around the artwork, with rich wildlife habitats, too.
2. The Intelligence Factory, Bletchley Park
📍 The Mansion, Sherwood Dr MK3 6EB
- Open 9:30 am-4 pm 1 Nov-28 Feb, 9:30 am-5 pm 1 March - 31 October
- Prices £25.50 adult, £23 concession, £17 12-17 yrs, free under 12
The largest exhibition on site, The Intelligence Factory, tells an essential part of the secret intelligence organisation.
Sporting a workforce of 9,000 and operating at an industrial level to keep up with the demands of wartime pressures, discover the ins and outs of Bletchley Park's working hive between 1942 and 1945 with personal anecdotes, a range of objects, and interactive models.
The exhibit is included in general admission.
Shirley Watson, Surrey Contemporaries
3. Denbies Wine Estate Gallery
📍 Denbies Wine Estate, London Rd RH5 6AA
- Open 9 am-5 pm daily
- Free entry; no booking required
Continuing with the scenic theme, Denbies Wine Estate has some fantastic art collections displayed in its gallery. Opened in 2002, the gallery has supported several local artists and photographers and inspires many more.
If you want to get a taste of this art from your settee, visit the online digital photography exhibition created for 'Insect Week' last year.
Alas, if you enjoy seeing art up close and personal, take a trip to the beautiful grounds to see it yourself.
The Estate has various exhibitions all year round, so check their website for upcoming events.
© Watts Gallery Trust. Photo by Chris Lacey
4. Watts Art Gallery, Artists' Village
📍 Down Ln, Guildford GU3 1DQ
- Tours fortnightly on Saturdays, 11 am-12:45 pm
- Prices: £7
This diverse exhibition of artwork in a beautiful outdoor setting is perfect for a sunny day. Sculpting, painting, and pottery can all be found in this garden walking tour through the grounds of George and Mary Watts's home.
Dubbed 'England's Michelangelo', the work of George Watts has long been admired and revered for not only the aesthetic pleasures but also the critical symbolism of his work, which reflects the political and social hardships of the time.
Mary Watts, too long known as an artist's wife, deserves unabridged appreciation as an artist in her own right. 'Jack of all trades, master of none' is certainly not applicable to the versatile polymath Mary Watts; artist, designer, writer, businesswoman and philanthropist, Mary was a creative force to be reckoned with.
The work of these Victorian artists is undoubtedly something to be admired, perpetuated in beauty by the surrounding landscape.
5. Guildford Museum
📍Castle Arch, Quarry St, Guildford GU1 3SX
- Open Mon-Sat 10 am-5 pm
- Free entry; no booking required
The permanent collection of objects in the Guildford Museum are all sourced from the surrounding areas and span a period from prehistoric eras to the modern day.
Within the museum's broadly divided predominant sections of archaeology, needlework, local history, and art, there are over 75,000 things to see, all telling an essential story of where and when it came from and what it was used for.
The four buildings that make up the museum themselves are also doused in history, having served multiple purposes before its current duty as a museum.
6. Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden
📍Standon Lane, Ockley, RH5 5QR
- Open Thurs-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
- Prices: £14.50 adult, £8.50 child, no under 12s
Another sculpture garden for the list if you just can't get enough of appraising this skilful craft in the outdoors. The sculptures, all selected by owner-curator Hannah Peschar, are connected in some way to each other whilst displaying a comprehensive spectrum of art forms. Realism to abstract, wire to glass, you'll find a bit of everything strolling through this gorgeous garden, designed by award-winning landscape gardener Anthony Paul.
