Four paintings, found in a former Cistercian barn at Abbey Farm, Coggeshall, after being lost for more than 40 years, are to be auctioned.

Auctioneers, Vost's, expect the paintings, by Victorian artist Frances Swithin Anderton, to fetch more than £4,000.

The paintings, which were unrecognisable before being cleaned, were found when Mr and Mrs Richard Brew moved out of Coggeshall Abbey earlier this year.

Their son, Antony, who farms at Coggeshall and continues to run the family's asparagus business, says the paintings were a complete surprise.

"We had no idea the paintings were there, they must have been hidden away at the back of the barn for many years."

Vost's local representative, Felicity Bartleet, liaised with the family to help them assess the value of the paintings.

"Moving house is never an easy task, but when, like the Brew family, you have lived somewhere for 40 years, you inevitably amass all sorts of things," Ms Bartleet said. "We were only too pleased to help them identify the hidden treasures."

After surface cleaning Vost's picture specialist, Adam Wahby, was able to identify the paintings. All four were by Anderton who lived from 1868 to 1909. He became a member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1904.

The most important work, expected to fetch between £1,500 and £2,500 is a mythological study of Juno and the Peacock.

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