HISTORY buffs have the chance to own a bit of local folklore after a property linked to Bonnie Prince Charlie went on the market.
Ashes Farm, off Mottram Old Road in Stalybridge, is where the Jacobite leader is believed to have stayed during their rebellion against the English in 1745.
Now the Grade II listed building – built in 1712 although people may have been settled there earlier – is being sold for £900,000.
The link between Ashes Farm and Bonnie Prince Charlie, or Charles Edward Stuart as he was called, comes from the 1869 book On The Old Manor Of Staley by The Reverend W. Worth Hoare.
He wrote: “It serves to connect our locality with a still later period of national history – the last time that an army has marched in hostile manner on our English soil.
“When in 1745, the Pretender’s son. Prince Charles Edward, held headquarters and a mockery court in Manchester, a party of his troopers and highlanders came as far as Stayley seeking forage and horses for the baggage of the army.
“And they quartered during their stay in the hall of ‘The Ashes.’”
Nowadays, Ashes Farm – which has been listed since 1966 – is a five-bedroomed home with double garage and current occupant Karl Ferns could not play down the historical significance.
He said: “There’s a round window at the top of the house and the history is Bonnie Prince Charlie ordered his troops from it.
“The farm was almost like a base for him at that time.
“The house has a lot of history and heritage as its so old. Even by just looking on the internet, you can find out its history.
“It’s quite impressive really.”
• Anyone interested in buying Ashes Farm is asked to contact Home Estate Agents on 0161 304 0000.