A Suffolk MP has written to the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy asking for a famous painting to stop off in a village before Ipswich.
South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge has requested that John Constable's masterpiece the Hay Wain be displayed in the village of Flatford, which the painting depicts, on its way to Ipswich's Christchurch Mansion this summer.
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Constable, who would go on to become one of Britain's most famous artists, with celebrations planned across the region.
One of the highlights is The Hay Wain, marking the first time the painting has appeared in the county it so famously depicts specifically the village of Flatford.
In Mr Cartlidge's letter he said: "I understand, this will be the painting's first-ever visit to the county it depicts.
"Given the cultural significance of the painting, I would like to request that on its journey from the National Gallery in London, to its destination of Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich, 'The Hay Wain 'stops off in Flatford, at the painting's inspiration, to commemorate the landscape in which it depicts.
"This is an incredibly popular area due to John Constable, so I know that bringing his most famous artwork to Flatford would have a great impact on the local tourism industry."
Published in the East Anglian Daily Times.
