3 Best Sights in The Southeast, England

This extraordinary small museum was built in tiny Compton in 1904 by the artist George Frederic Watts (1817–1904) to display his romantic, mystical paintings, which have been rediscovered in recent years, as his 1886 painting Hope was a favorite of Barack Obama. A marvelously higgledy-piggledy studio displays his sculptures, which are astonishing for their size and near-obsessive attention to detail. Some critics, though, contend that George's wife, artist Mary Seton Watts (1849–1938), eclipsed her husband. If you make the short walk to the Watts Memorial Chapel, you may agree. Designed by Mary, this tiny chapel is a masterpiece of Art Nouveau style, from the intricately carved redbrick exterior to the Mucha-esque painted interior. You could spend half an hour trying to decode the symbolism and allegory woven into the gilded walls. The museum, chapel, and other sights (including the Artists' Village in Limnerslease House with its artists in residence and contemporary gallery) are 3 miles west of Guildford.

This museum on the grounds of the Royal Pavilion, in a former stable block designed for the Prince Regent (1762–1830), son of George III, has particularly interesting Art Nouveau and Art Deco collections. Look out for a tiny replica of Salvador Dalí's famous sofa in the shape of Mae West's lips. The Fashion & Style Gallery has clothes from the Regency period to the present day, and the Performance gallery has a collection of masks, puppets, and other theatrical curiosities.

A symbol of Hastings's gradual regeneration after decades of neglect, this spruced-up exhibition space in the Old Town has become one of the most talked-about contemporary art museums outside London. Formerly known as the Jerwood Gallery, Hastings Contemporary focuses on innovative global modern and contemporary art exhibitions that change every couple of months. The glazed-tile building on the seafront was designed to reflect the row of distinctive old, blackened fishing sheds it sits alongside.