AN HISTORIC house, once said to be home to a well-loved comic actor is to be sold to private investors.

Shares in Stan Laurel’s former home in Bishop Auckland are to be sold to individuals using a technique known as crowd-funding.

The sale is due to start on June 16 - what would have been the comedian’s 125th birthday.

It is believed the house had fallen into disrepair before being acquired by Property Moose, who will rent it out once the £58,000 investment is secured.

Property Moose, an investment company specialising in crowd-funding, is offering shares in the historic property in Princes Street, Bishop Auckland. It will work by small scale investors buying shares of the property value and recouping a percentage of the £425 per month rental income

The sale of the house follows plans to restore Stan’s old school, King James 1st Grammar School, after it fell victim to an arson attack in March 2007.

More recently, it follows the sale of the church where the comic was baptised. The grade II listed St Peter’s Church on Princes Street in Bishop Auckland was put up for sale to developers in June this year.

Born in Ulverston, Cumbria, on June 16, 1890, Stan grew up in Bishop Auckland and lived at the house on Princes Street as a child, before moving to Glasgow in his early teens. He died on 23 February 1965.

Andrew Gardiner, CEO of Property Moose, said: “We are excited to have secured a property with such historical value, and expect strong demand from investors. We are also proud to have played a part in restoring the property, which plays such an important and historic part of the cultural identity of Bishop Auckland.”

Tony Hillman, from the Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society, who recently completed a walk commemorating the 50th anniversary of Stan’s death, said fans of the movie star often take photographs of themselves outside his childhood home in Ulverston.

He said: “On Stan’s birthday, there are usually about a hundred people or so. The lady who owned the house before was always very welcoming to anyone who wanted a picture taken.”