ONE of the oldest building's in the borough, with a haunted past, has come on the market.

Brandlesholme Old Hall, a four bedroom, Grade II* listed property dating back to the 13th century, is up for auction with a £350,000 price tag.

The house, which was home to one of Bury's longest standing families, is built around the remains of a medieval hall.

It also boasts two farms and a Victorian wing, added later; as well as a double garage, stables and large gardens.

Once a catholic stronghold, the hall had its own secret priest hole — a hiding place designed so that priests could be concealed when searches were made, during a period of heavy persecution, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

However, a man became trapped in the hole during the English Civil Wars and died from starvation.

His death is believed to have started a well known haunting, with unexplained noises, banging and moaning, accompanied by "an emaciated figure pointing a fleshless finger" at the priest hole.

The skeleton was finally recovered and laid to rest in 1763 — after which the haunting stopped.

But there have been claims of sightings of an unknown White Lady walking along the minstrel gallery, and rumours of a ghostly monk said to haunt a flight of steps leading to a subterranean tunnel. 

During the reign of King Henry I the hall was home to the Brandlesholme family — bailiffs to the dominant northern landholding houses of Montebegon and de Lacy.

The house then descended by marriage to the distinguished Greenhalgh's, who remained in the property for 11 generations until they sold it in 1728.  

In 1640 John Greenhalgh was made Governor of the Isle of Man by the Earl of Derby, and in 1651 he fought with distinction at Worcester, the final battle of the English Civil Wars, but later died of his wounds.

Originally an open-hall, cruck-framed house, the property was extended in the 1500s and remodelled in 1849 when many of the 16th century features, including the kitchen and parlour, were rebuilt in gabled style.

The hall will go up for auction with Pugh at the AJ Bell Stadium on October 18.

Paul Thompson, managing director of auction house Pugh, said: “This is a remarkable historic property, the likes of which certainly don’t come on to the market very often and as such we have had a great deal of interest in it from potential buyers.

“The house is a treasure trove of unique architectural features and was originally an open-hall, cruck-framed dwelling, built an incredible 700 years or so ago.”

He added: “The Pugh team have become the go-to auctioneer for unusual and historic properties. It is always satisfying when a buyer comes forward who is sympathetic to the building and its history and hopefully this will be the case with Brandlesholme Old Hall.”