Pictures in loft to fetch £150,000

A collection of 355 unframed pictures found hidden in a bungalow loft in Cheshire contains 287 works by Sheffield artist George Hamilton Constantine.

His works now sell for up to 1,000 each.

Constantine, who was born in 1878 in Sheffield and studied at the Sheffield School of Art, left them to a friend in Knutsford when he died in 1967.

They were stored in a tin trunk in the loft, and only discovered after the owner of the bungalow died.

Most of the paintings are of rural scenes but there are also a number of seascapes including pictures of Morecambe Bay and Heysham.

Auctioneer Sir Patrick Cheyne said the trunk was brought in by a solicitor dealing with a probate matter and expects the paintings to go for between 60,000 and 150,000.

He said: “It is a truly amazing discovery. Constantine was a marvellously accomplished artist and the pictures look as though they were painted yesterday.

“Most of the watercolours are charming rural and coastal landscapes.

“They show tranquil scenes of pre-war, horse-drawn Britain.”