COTTAGES which formed part of a historic village school attended by Hollywood star Shirley Anne Field are to go under the hammer.

The buildings, dating back to the 1900s, once formed part of Crowthorn School, have now been transformed into family homes.

Two lots will be offered on an online auction by SDL Auctions in partnership with agents Miller Metcalfe.

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The development has been described as "wonderful reworkings of cottages from the 1900s that have been renovated and brought bang up to date".

Suzanne Dugdill, director of sales of Miller Metcalfe, said: "The pair of cottages are a beautifully designed and elegant updating of older properties."

She added: “A special feature of these properties is a substantial basement area which could be used as a self-contained apartment, games or cinema room.

“Also, it is rare to find new properties for sale in Edgworth which offer the best of both worlds, surrounded by open countryside with a host of walks, reservoirs and stunning views on the doorstep, yet also offering the opportunity to live in a new family home within easy reach of Bolton, Bury and just a 30 minute commute into Manchester.”

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A grand front door is the entrance into the property which has a kitchen and breakfast dining area with patio doors to the back.

The lounge at the front of the property has large windows with views of the open countryside.

Upstairs on the first floor are two large bedrooms, one with en-suite dressing area, and the other with an en-suite bathroom. The second floor has two large bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms.

The two lots are House 1 and House 2, Broadhead Cottage in Edgworth, and both have a minimum opening bid of £275,000. The auction begins on Friday 23 November at 12 noon and will finish on Friday 14 December at 12 noon.

To arrange a viewing, call Miller Metcalfe on 01204 275079, or email harwood@millermetcalfe.co.uk.

THE complex has a fascinating history dating back to 1872 when the Revd Thomas Bowman Stephenson a Methodist minister in London was contacted by a wealthy Bolton mill owner James Barlow in reply to an advert placed in the Methodist Recorder.

James a staunch Methodist and temperance advocate, had purchased a run-down inn on the moorland above the village of Edgworth. He donated it, with 80 acres of surrounding land plus £5,000, so that Stephenson could open the first NCH childrens' home outside London.

Barlow saw his gift as two fold; in buying the Wheatsheaf Inn, not only would he be helping the abandoned children who had been living on the streets of London, but he would be ridding Edgworth village of a den of iniquity. The inn had a reputation for Sunday drinking, dog fighting, cock fighting and rat baiting.

Revd Stephenson had made it his mission to rescue these forgotten children and his dream was to provide a home for them, away from the negative influences to be found on the streets of London at that time He wanted a place where the children could breathe "God's fresh air" and be taught new skills to equip them for a better future.

The first party of 24 children arrived with Alfred Mager, the first governor of Edgworth Home on April 17, 1872.

That was the beginning of a children's home that later became Crowthorn Special Needs Residential School in the 1940s.

Later at Crowthorn School the house staff would be social care workers providing a caring environment for each child as an individual within a family unit.

It closed in 2002.

Shirley Anne Field made an emotional return to Bolton in 2009 to share her experiences growing up in there and was the guest of honour at an event to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the National Children’s Home charity.

Shirley Anne lived at the home with her brother after being evacuated from London during the Second World War.