A CENTURY-OLD painting of an Isle of Wight property once owned by the celebrated English poet Lord Tennyson went unsold at auction on Tuesday.

Despite pre-auction speculation that the picture, estimated to be worth between £8,000 and £12,000 would be hot property, no one was willing to splash out.

At Bonhams auctioneers, in New Bond Street, London, the watercolour depicting Farringford, the Isle of Wight home of Lord and Lady Tennyson, failed to attract any bids.

Painted by 19th century artist Helen Allingham, it depicts a mid-18th century house acquired by Tennyson in 1853, three years after he became poet laureate.

It was while at Farringford that Tennyson wrote Maud, Idylls of the King and Enoch Arden. Such was the popularity of Maud that the poet was able to buy the property from the proceeds.

This picture of Farringford, circa 1891, was completed after the poet's last visit to the Island, when the house stood empty. It is now a hotel.

The picture depicts a house obscured by ivy and surrounded by lush grounds on which rabbits can be seen.

Rabbits on the lawn were not an unusual sight as Tennyson loved nature and would not allow shooting or trapping on his land. Under his ownership Farringford became a haven for animals, birds, flora and fauna. The first occasion the artist met Tennyson was soon after her marriage to the poet William Allingham, who had known him for many years. When the Allinghams moved to Surrey in 1881 Helen came to know the Tennyson family.

Despite the difference in age the poet grew close to Helen and often asked her to accompany him on long walks so he could point out cottages and farmhouses he felt might be of interest to her.

Spokeswoman Philippa Windsor, for Bonhams, said: "It will now be up to the picture's private owner to decide if it goes up for auction again."