FOR many people, the name of the artist Turner brings to mind the unmade beds and the cows in formaldehyde that have become associated with the annual prize which bears his name. But for art lovers, the painter has a far greater place in the history of art than just putting his name to an exhibition - he had a remarkable outpouring of work which has led to him being known as "Britain's greatest painter".

And to mark the 150th anniversary of his death, London's Royal Academy is holding a major commemorative exhibition of an area of his work which is sometimes overlooked, the watercolours.

The watercolours range from an early detailed view of the Archbishop's Palace in Lambeth to the Swiss scenes he produced at the end of his life and includes some famous landmarks from the region such as Richmond Castle and Gibside in County Durham.

More than 40 of the paintings on show are normally held in private collections and the rest are from collections too delicate to be put on display regularly but selected due to their good condition.

However, putting on an exhibition like this means the paintings will deteriorate as soon as light hits them. So to guard against too much damage occurring on this remarkable collection the lighting is turned down low.

Darkness aside, the paintings are a rare treat which will no doubt leave students of Turner fascinated to see how the artist developed and people new to his work able to glimpse a little-known side to the painter.

While the Turner exhibition is a revelation in showing what can be achieved in artistic terms with the humble watercolour, visitors will also be interested to see some of the ways in which the artist developed to become the great name he is today.

The exhibition, Turner: The Great Watercolours is showing at the Royal Academy until February 11 and, as part of a celebration of his work, the nearby Athenaeum Hotel is offering special Turner nights.

The family run hotel and apartments is just a short walk from the gallery and offers a wide range of accommodation - from hotel rooms to whole town house "apartments".

The apartments are fully equipped homes from home with one or two bedrooms, comfortable lounge, functional and well-equipped kitchen and bathroom.

And just because you are staying round the corner from the hotel doesn't mean that you are self-catering (unless you want to be).

All the facilities of the hotel are available including room service, a small but well-stocked health suite and a restaurant.

The restaurant is the sort of place where guests might well just bump into one of the celebrities known to frequent the hotel. Omar Sharif was rumoured to be somewhere around during my stay and other guests reported bumping into Adam Faith on a previous occasion.

But if you are not fortunate enough to catch sight of the rich and famous, then the celebrity status comes to you with each of the restaurant chairs bearing the name of some famous star such as "Joan Collins" and "Charles Dance."

After dining in the restaurant, the hotel's location means you are also ideally placed for theatreland and the night-life of the West End.

And if you still have enough energy the next day, shopping in Knightsbridge is a stone's throw away and there is still enough time to see some more art with the National Gallery, the Tate and Tate Modern easily accessible.

FACTFILE

Overnight accommodation at the Athenaeum Hotel & Apartments in a deluxe Double/Twin room along with full English breakfast and entry tickets to the exhibition, costs from £99.00 per person, per night and is based on two people sharing any week night.

For reservations call the Athenaeum Hotel & Apartments on tel: 020 7499 3464 or visit the website at www.athenaeumhotel.com.

Sarah travelled to London with GNER which runs regular services from the North-East to Kings Cross. A taxi from the station to the hotel costs about £10.