John Constable's painting goes on display for the first time

The masterpiece, measuring eight feet wide and five feet long, depicts the opening of Waterloo Bridge in London in 1817.

It is the largest known work by Constable, who is famous for his landscape paintings.

Constable split his time between London and his home village of East Bergholt and painted stunning landscapes of the area around it which has now become popularly known as Constable Country.

The restored painting has gone on display at the National Trust site Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire after a huge restoration effort.

Experts devoted 270 hours to conserving the painting, which has revealed an impression of early 19th century life in London.

Details - curators at the National Trust examine the largest known painting by John Constable. Picture: National Trust/James Dobson

Sarah Maisey, a conservator at the National Trust, said: “We are delighted with the final result.

“This has been a painting which has been dramatically transformed by the conservation treatment.

“There had been some earlier tests which showed that this painting would respond really well to varnish removal but it has been a particular delight to see the quality of the improvement.”

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Staff at the National Trust’s Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio in Kent removed varnish layers to restore the bright blue skies depicted in Constable’s painting.

The painting - called The Embarkation of George IV from Whitehall: the Opening of Waterloo Bridge, 1817 - records the scene of the second anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.

Rehanging - it has now returned to public display in the library of Anglesey Abbey near Cambridge. Picture: National Trust/James Dobson

The painting is on show alongside other works by Constable at the abbey, including a view of the village of Stoke-by-Nayland in the painter’s home county of Suffolk.

John Chu, curator of paintings and sculpture at the National Trust said: “Constable’s painting of Waterloo Bridge, full of the pageantry and colour of urban life, is a significant contrast to the quiet country scenes he is more famous for such as The Haywain.

“This large-scale depiction of modern events and the London metropolis was a big departure at this point in his career.

“The Opening of Waterloo Bridge remained in his studio for the rest of his life.”