A HOUSE where comic Stan Laurel once lived will be auctioned this month.

The two-bedroomed property in Bishop Auckland where Laurel, one half of duo Laurel and Hardy, lived with his thespian parents when he was a baby, is up for auction through Keith Pattinson estate agents. Bids for the unoccupied house, thought to have been used as a rental property, start at £40,000.

Although Laurel was born in Cumbria, he spent much of his childhood in Bishop Auckland and was educated at King James Grammar School, in the town.

There is a blue commemorative plaque from the Bishop Auckland Civic Society above the front door of the mid-terraced house, which reads: “Stan Laurel (Arthur Stanley Jefferson) of Laurel and Hardy lived in this house with his parents. He was baptised in St Peter’s Church on 21st October 1891”.

A spokeswoman for Keith Pattinson said she hoped the property would attract Laurel fans.

Peter Jones, secretary of the Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society, based in Bishop Auckland, said: “It seems like a really cheap price for the house.

“The society organised for the plaque to be installed on the front of the building several years ago and some of Stan’s relatives came up to unveil it.”

Bishop Auckland county councillor Sam Zair stressed the importance of maintaining Bishop Auckland’s links with Laurel.

He said: “The Stan Laurel link is vastly important to Bishop Auckland and one that we need to keep going because it is such a vital part of the town’s heritage.

“Our heritage has been under threat lately with the proposed sale of the Zurbaran paintings in Auckland Castle, so we need to keep the link to Stan Laurel going for future generations.

“It attracts tourists to Bishop Auckland which, in turn, generates money for the area and the town.”

The auction will take place at the Newcastle Falcons Rugby club ground on Tuesday, March 29.