Paintings going under the hammer

There has been a great deal of interest in the paintings

Three paintings by one of the north-east of England's favourite painters are due to go under the hammer.

The works by Victorian oil painter Ralph Hedley, from Newcastle, are expected to fetch £60,000 when they are sold at auction at Bonhams, in London.

Among the works is 'The Tournament', which shows a group of boys having a piggy-back fight, and is expected to fetch up to £30,000.

The paintings belong to La Sagesse School, in Newcastle.

Maureen Morris, from La Sagesse, said: "We recently changed our insurers and when they came there were several things they wanted to have revalued including the paintings.

'Important paintings'

"We discovered from that re-evaluation that some of the canvases were loose that needed restoration and the insurance premium was going to go up considerably as well and therefore the governors decided it was appropriate to sell them."

Guy Haskell, who is a valuer for Bonhams in the North East, said there has been a great deal of interest in the paintings.

He said: "They are important paintings. They were all exhibited at the Royal Academy and are key pieces defining his output."

He said there were collectors of the artist's work around the world.