A KINGFISHER has been discovered in a 200-year-old John Constable masterpiece.

Conservator Rosalind Whitehouse, who has a studio in South Street, Mannningtree, discovered the painted bird when cleaning The Mill Stream, which is at Christchurch Mansion, in Ipswich.

The kingfisher had never before been noticed in the painting from 1814 and it is thought to have been covered up by years of grime and discoloured varnish.

Penny Hughes-Stanton, honorary secretary for the Constable Trust, said: “You never know what you are going to find when you restore paintings. This is an exciting and amazing discovery.”

The painting can be seen for free at Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich. For more information, go to cimuseums.org.uk