A PAINTING by a celebrated portrait artist from Dalton has been returned to its ancestral home.

‘Charles Strickland with a Fishing Rod’ was painted by Dalton-born artist George Romney in the 1760s and will be on show to the public when Sizergh Castle near Kendal opens its doors for a new season this Saturday (March 21).

Romney is best known for his portraits of Lord Nelson’s mistress Emma Hamilton and built up his reputation by painting the local gentry including the Stricklands of Sizergh.

The painting is a rare example of Romney’s early work and depicts Charles as a country gentleman and landowner, fishing on his estate in front of Force Falls on the River Kent near Sedgwick.

The painting was auctioned in the late 1800s and bought by the Grosvenor Estate where it hung in an accountant’s back office and was gifted to him on his retirement. Years later, whilst visiting Sizergh with his wife, the man recognised a similarity between the four paintings and his own – not knowing that he was in fact, in possession of the missing piece in the set. After striking up a friendship with the late Mrs Strickland and her son Henry, the man wrote into his will that the castle would have the first chance to buy the painting when he died.

The piece was finally bought last August thanks to generous donations from volunteers at Sizergh, the Romney Society and the V&A Acquisitions Fund.

Raffle tickets sales at the castle last year funded a specialist survey which identified what restoration work was needed on the painting.

“It’s fantastic to see the portrait of Charles Strickland back on the walls of the house it was painted to adorn," said Matthew Brown, senior house steward.

"The portrait hasn’t been seen at Sizergh since 1896 so it’s wonderful to have it back in its original setting after 124 years. The Romney portraits tell a significant part of the family’s story and of their place within British society and we are grateful to everyone who donated towards the cause over the last two years.”

Sizergh Castle is open from this Saturday, Tuesday-Sunday until November 1.

To celebrate the painting's return, there will be a series of free guided Romney Walks at 11am on Tuesday March 24, Friday April 3 and Wednesday April 8 which will take visitors near to the portrait’s waterfall setting to see the landscape behind the painting put down on canvas over 250 years ago.

Places are limited. Please call Sizergh reception on 015395 69818 to book.