A TWO-HUNDRED year old painting by a Leigh-born artist is expected to fetch up to £20,000 at auction later this month.

The Joseph Farington picture of "The Gatehouse on the Bridge over the River Severn at Bridgnorth", was painted in 1791, and over the last 64 years, the value of the painting has multiplied.

It was first bought in May 1939 for just £50.40 and sold again in 1997 for £26,450! Now it is being auctioned on November 25 at Christie's in London.

It failed to sell when last put up for sale two years ago when experts predicted it would reach £30,000.

Farington, born in 1747, was the second son of the Vicar of Leigh, the Rev William Farington. He died in December 1821.

Bolton Museum and Art Gallery currently hold nine of his works including Denbigh Castle (1791) and View of Corby from the Walmon Ware (1780) which show his distinctive drawing style.

In 1977 Bolton Museum and Art Gallery hosted a major exhibition of his work which toured to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

Farington is chiefly remembered for his incredible 'Diary' about the Royal Academy, of which he was a proud member. His acceptance into the academy confirmed his place as one of the leading artists of his era.

The activities of the London art world in the late 18th, early 19th Centuries were also recorded in the diary. He was a superb topographical painter, working mostly in watercolour and pencil; and occasionally in oils.