A council has taken possession of an art collection - including a painting believed to be by the great Dutch artist Rembrandt - 20 years after it was bequeathed in a will.

At the same time, the Roebuck Collection is to be featured in a television documentary as one of our hidden treasures.

Craven District Council was left the 145 works of art, including paintings and sculptures, by Clement Roebuck, of Langbar, near Ilkley.

But Mr Roebuck, who loved the Dales and lived for a time in Starbotton, near Skipton, insisted in his will that the collection be given a permanent home.

Craven Council has now satisfied his wishes and that of the trustees after the collection has been shown in a series of exhibitions at the new Craven Gallery in High Street, Skipton.

Almost 60 paintings from the collection have also been registered in the Public Catalogue Foundation, a catalogue of all oil paintings in the UK.

Catherine Johnson, Craven's art and exhibition's officer, said until 2005 there had been no official gallery where examples of the collection could be shown but the opening of the Craven gallery enabled staff to arrange a series of shows.

Long term, the aim was to construct a permanent gallery for the collection in a new annexe at Skipton Town Hall.

Highlight of the collection was the small painting attributed to Rembrandt which was bought by Mr Roebuck in the 1930s at Christies in London.

"We are planning to take it down to Christies for authentication," said Mrs Johnson.

The Roebuck Collection, valued in 1989 at £200,000 and now being revalued by the Council, will be featured on The One Show to be broadcast by BBC1 on Wednesday, July 11, at 7pm.

It will include the five works of art to go on display at the Craven Gallery from July 11 to September 11.