Constable to be sent on tour of regions

ONE of John Constable's greatest paintings, The Opening of Waterloo Bridge, is being sent on a regional tour by the Tate Gallery as part of its policy to make its collections more accessible.

The bridge opening was a scene actually witnessed by Constable in 1817, although he did not start painting it until two years later. It shows the Prince Regent on his way to open the original Waterloo Bridge, which was demolished in the 1930s.

It is the first in a series of tours sponsored by the Arts Council and during its seven-month journey, which begins in October, the painting will be seen in Stoke-on- Trent, Coventry, Sunderland and Kendal.