THREE oil paintings by one of Worcester's most famous artists are expected to total £90,000 when they go under the hammer at Christie's later this month.

Benjamin Williams Leader's, A Hazy Morn, A Sunny Afternoon, North Wales and The Llugwy; Autumn, represent works of the landscape artist spanning from 1880-1902.

The value of the most expensive picture, A Hazy Morn has rocketed since it was painted nearly a century ago in 1902.

The work originally sold for just £250 and is now expected to fetch up to £50,000.

The value of his other pictures also represents a flourishing interest in Victorian paintings over the last 20 years.

A Sunny Afternoon, North Wales, painted in 1865, is set to fetch between £10,000 and £15,000.

And The Llugwy; Autumn, finished in 1880, is valued at between £15,000 and £25,000.

According to Christopher Wood, BBC TV Antiques Roadshow expert and a leading authority on Victorian art, Leader's works have always been admired for their truth to nature.

"Leader's early pictures show some Pre-Raphaelite influence, but he later developed a broader more naturalistic style, which was enormously successful," he said.

Leader was born in Worcester on March 12, 1831, and was the third of 11 children. He was born above the family's ironmongers in the High Street, now part of the Lychgate, and was educated at the Royal Grammar School.

His pictures have been snapped up by the rich and famous including King George V and Prime Minister William Gladstone.

Despite his success, he was not made Freeman of Worcester until the age of 83.

The auction takes place in London on Tuesday, June 12.