A collection of previously unknown drawings by the artist John Constable have been discovered on the walls of a Norfolk country house.

The same owner has had the paintings since 1952 but they were largely unregarded until the family were planning to move house.

They then consulted Cheffins auction house specialist Sarah Flynn, who took the drawings to London to show them to Constable expert Anne Lyles.

The collection of eight drawings, seven by John Constable and the eighth by his son Lionel, are to be included in Cheffins March Fine Art auction in Cambridge on Thursday.

Seven of the drawings were unknown to Constable scholars until now.

One of the more sentimental highlights of this collection is a pencil drawing by John Constable inscribed 'Binfiled Decr. 6th 1816'. This scene of a 'Horse at rest beside a plough' is believed to have been drawn by Constable whilst on honeymoon with his wife Maria.

This pencil drawing, originally made in a small pocket-sized sketchbook, would have been drawn on their return from Dorset whilst staying in Binfield in Berkshire

Other scenes in the drawings from East Anglia include the River Meadows around East Bergholt and the footbridge at Flatford.

The drawings are estimated to raise between £43,000 and £62,000.