Engineers are assessing the damage to an historic Suffolk house in a village made famous by painter John Constable after it was hit by a car.
The incident, on Thursday, May 28, at 9.30pm, caused structural damage to the Old Post Office on Upper Street, Higham, immortalised by John Constable's 1804 painting 'The Stour Valley from Higham’.
The Grade II* listed property, owned by private individuals and managed and let for short stays by the holiday agency Suffolk Hideaways, was being rented out to a person who had only been there a week.
The person renting the 17th-century timber-framed cottage, who did not want to be named, said: "I was in the garden, and saw the headlights and thought a car was doing a manoeuvre.
"I then heard a long screeching, crunching noise, and we thought our dog was being run over.”
They said it was a simple turning manoeuvre, and they raised concerns about whether road closure signs were placed in the right positions, causing motorists to turn around at that point.
"It's really sad for the property, and thankfully no one was hurt,” they added.
The original post office building was damaged, and a wooden bench outside the front.
A spokesperson for Suffolk Police said: "There were no injuries, but I understand the building suffered serious damage."
The motorist's vehicle was carrying a P plate, indicating they recently passed their test, and the renter said the driver only passed their test on May 18.
The renter said, to the best of their knowledge, the driver was on their way home from a care home in Ipswich.
A spokesperson for Babergh District Council said: "We assessed the site and are working with a local contractor to remove the vehicle.
"Once this has been done, the building will be further assessed and secured."
A neighbour on Upper Street said they heard an "odd and loud screeching noise" and later saw police flashing lights at around 10pm.
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The renter said they were “enjoying a piece of Dedham Vale history” and are now “concerned to be in a house with structural damage.”
John Constable was an English Romantic landscape painter who conferred enduring fame upon Dedham Vale and the River Stour with his expressive technique, inspired by his predecessor and fellow Suffolk native, Thomas Gainsborough.
John Constable grew up in East Bergholt, Suffolk, and his most prominent works include 'The Leaping Horse' (1825) and 'The Vale of Dedham' (1828).
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