A PRE-WAR landscape painting by Sir Winston Churchill of the countryside in north Suffolk has surfaced at a London auction.Churchill painted the brightly-coloured country scene outside Beccles in 1936 – three years before Britain was plunged into war with Germany.

A PRE-WAR landscape painting by Sir Winston Churchill of the countryside in north Suffolk has surfaced at a London auction.

Churchill painted the brightly-coloured country scene outside Beccles in 1936 – three years before Britain was plunged into war with Germany.

The 25in by 30in oil on canvas – entitled Trees in the Eastern Counties, near Beccles – is estimated to fetch £40,000 to £60,000 at Christie's in London on November 22 after emerging from a private collection.

On colours, Churchill wrote: "I must say I like bright colours. I cannot pretend to feel impartial about the colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones, and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns."

At the same sale, another Churchill painting, an unspecified coastal scene entitled Rocky Seascape, is estimated to make £60,000 to £100,000.

The wartime hero began painting at the age of 40 and continued until his death in 1965.