There are nearly 200,000 publicly owned oil paintings in the UK, and they are not just to be found in museums.

Council buildings, universities, hospitals, police stations and fire stations often have paintings secreted away — yet at any one time, about 80 per cent of these are in storage or in places without routine public access.

The Public Catalogue Foundation, however, is a charity which aims to create a record of this publicly owned art, making it available to be seen and appreciated.

The foundation’s catalogue of art in Hertfordshire is drawn from more than 40 collections across the county, and included in its pages are six paintings to be found in Borehamwood: five at Hertsmere Borough Council’s offices, in Elstree Way, and one at Elstree and Boreham Wood Museum, in Drayton Road.

Retired materials engineer and artist John Bland painted The Lake, Boreham Wood, which is now at Elstree and Boreham Wood Museum, in the late Sixties. It shows Canterbury House block of flats and part of Aberford Park, off Brook Road.

Mr Bland, who has lived in Borehamwood for more than 50 years and is a dedicated member of Elstree Art Circle, says: “If the light happens to be different one day and it highlights something a bit more, I set up my easel and go to town.

"I remember with that painting I was very proud of the clouds and the way I’d captured the afternoon sun.”

Unlike Mr Bland’s modern scene, the other five works from Borehamwood are all from the 18th or early 19th Century: four portraits and an imposing 8ft by 3ft scene of a Paris horse fair.

According to David Whorlow, museums officer for Hertsmere Borough Council, there are no records detailing why the council has these paintings, or where they came from.

But he says: “One of the nice things about the project is it highlights these paintings that people wouldn’t normally see, in places people wouldn’t normally think to look for paintings.

“The council building in Borehamwood is relatively modern, and to find all these 18th Century paintings inside is a pleasant surprise.”

Those interested in seeing the paintings should contact the council offices on 020 8420 4057 or Elstree and Boreham Wood Museum on 020 8953 1258 before visiting.

The catalogue costs £25 (hardback), £15 (paperback), and is available at thepcf.org.uk. For more information call 020 7395 0330.