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A collection of 'lost' drawings by famed British artist John Constable have been discovered.

The seven pencil drawings by the romantic painter include one of a horse and plough next to a stream he produced in a pocket-sized sketchbook while on honeymoon.

Significantly, it was drawn five years before his most famous work, the Hay Wain - his masterpiece of three horses pulling a large cart across a river in Suffolk.

Although Constable's small drawing was of a scene in Berkshire, experts say it shows his early love of a familiar subject matter that he became known for.

Other scenes the landscape artist expertly sketched include a river meadow and a footbridge in East Anglia.

They were bought at a London art dealers in 1952 and have been kept by the same owner ever since.

They are now coming up for sale as individual lots for up to £12,000 each at Cheffins Auctioneers of Cambridge.