A RARE 18th century portrait of one of the town's most important historical figures will take pride of place on the wall of Warrington Museum after it was found by a cleaner in a nearby office.
The portrait of former Lord of the Manor of Warrington John Blackburne, who lived between 1693 and 1786 was painted by renowned portrait artist and engraver Hamlet Winstanley and was bought by the museum from Sotheby's in London last year.
The former Lord of the Manor from 1764 lived at Orford Hall and was an eminent botanist and uncle to Thomas Patten who built what is now Warrington Town Hall.
The painting was unveiled at the museum last Thursday and was welcomed by Peter Blackburne Maze, a relative of John Blackburne and eminent horticulturist Joan Appleton.
The museum managed to rescue the portrait and bring it back to Warrington, finding out from history enthusiast Mrs Appleton on the morning of sale at Sotheby's last year, that the portrait was to come up for auction.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article