A DRAWING of Colchester’s historic ruins is returning to the city after more than 200 years.

Auctioneers at Roseberys auction house, London, were excited to discover a drawing of St Botolph’s Priory, Colchester, by the renowned artist John Constable.

The 20x24cm drawing dates back to 1808 and presumably relates to a number of other pencil sketches the artist made of St Botolph’s Priory in the same year.

It will now join several other Constable sketches in the museum's collections, including a second view of the priory and another of Colchester Castle.

Gazette: Drawing - John Constable's drawing of St Botolph's Priory is coming home to Colchester Drawing - John Constable's drawing of St Botolph's Priory is coming home to Colchester (Image: Roseberys)

John Constable completed drawings in Colchester on several occasions in the first half of his career, when he was still returning to Suffolk and Essex on a regular basis to stay with his family and to continue his sketching from nature.

The drawing will now return home after being sold to the Friends of Colchester Museums for £4,420.

For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Colchester and Ipswich Museums’ heritage manager Philip Wise said: “We are delighted to acquire this very significant drawing by John Constable with funding from the Friends of Colchester Museums and the support of Roseberys.

“This newly discovered drawing of the priory is taken from a slightly different viewpoint to one already in the museum’s collections and together they form an important visual record of one of the city’s oldest and most historic buildings as it was at the beginning of the nineteenth century.”

St Botolph’s Priory is an outstanding example of Norman architecture.

It was the first English Augustinian priory church, founded at the end of the 11th century and was badly damaged in the Siege of Colchester, during the Civil War.

Today, just as Constable sketched it, only the ruined remains of the nave of the priory’s church survive.

Colchester Council’s heritage boss Michelle Burrows said: “St Botolph’s Priory is an important heritage destination for thousands of visitors each year.

“To be able to add this remarkable drawing to our extensive collection of Colchester’s heritage is wonderful, and one that we will cherish.”

Roseberys’ Lara L’vov-Basirov added she and her team “are absolutely thrilled that this highly important, re-discovered work on paper by Constable is returning home to Colchester”.