FOR SALE: '˜Bargain' Lancashire property could be transformed into £1m home

Crumbling Hawksclough Farmhouse at Clayton-le-Woods, where priests celebrated Mass in the 1700s, has been put on the market with the potential to be a million pound house.

Offers are being invited in excess of £275,000. Agents say “a good £100,000” could see it restored to its former glory and turned into a seven-figure home for the lucky buyer.

“I’d be disappointed if we didn’t get quite a few people interested because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said estate agent Peter Gilkes.

Hawksclough, tucked away down a secluded track off busy Preston Road, was last lived in between 12 and 18 months ago. It has stood empty since then and is in urgent need of repair.

The house is said to contain a number of historical and religious features, including an oak-panelled priests’ robing room.

It is being marketed by Peter Gilkes and Co, in Market Street, Chorley, who were offered the property about a month ago. Peter said: “It’s quite interesting, not just from an architectural point of view, but local historical interest as well.

“There has been quite a bit of interest because of its local historical significance.

“When they’re aware of the history attached to the property, the people look at it as a project, because it is a project.

“There’s been quite a bit of local interest and we are also getting interest from people, say, from Manchester because it’s so convenient to get on the motorway.”

Mr Gilkes said the house was owned by a Mr and Mrs McCann and sold on following their deaths.

“I think Mrs McCann was the last to die.

“It’s possibly about twelve to eighteen months ago since it was last lived in.

“Since that time we’ve achieved planning permission on the brick-built stable and site form that to be converted into a three-bedroom residence and the stone barn to be converted into a four bedroom residence.

“We’re asking for offers by informal tender, which means we’re not obliged to take the highest bid.

“Say if we got two bids and one was on condition of selling their own house and raising a ninety five per cent mortgage, we’d take the lower bid if that was cash.

He said anyone wanting to spend “a good £100,000 or more on it” could end up with a property worth £1m.