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John Constable (1776-1837)
was a British landscape painter who was born at East Bergholt, Suffolk. His life was devoted to painting the natural landscape.  His pictures seem to offer the essential
image of the English landscape. The painter’s home was on the border between Suffolk and Essex.
The Dedham Vale is widely known as ‘Constable Country’. It was designated an ’Area of Outstanding Beauty’ in
1970. The farmers are encouraged to retain traditional grazing methods.  The gentle landscape of this lowland river valley has been immortalized in the paintings of John
Constable. He was inspired to capture on canvas the beauty of the Vale and the activity on the River Stour. His paintings of the river and the buildings on the bank have made him world-famous.
The river provided an important navigation for barges transporting goods up and down the river. The last barges disappeared from the River Stour in the 1920’s. Bridge Cottage,
adjacent to Flatford Mill, houses a display about John Constable’s famous paintings.
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