THE North-East property market caught its breath when it emerged a lock-up garage was on offer for nearly £25,000.

Estate agents Sanderson Young has the garage in Westfield Road, Gosforth, listed on its website as having "easy access to the High Street, Newcastle and the A1".

Further south, in North Yorkshire, a 20ft by 40ft garage is being sold by Luke Miller and Associates, of Thirsk, for £55,000.

An added value, however, is that the property, in Front Street, Sowerby, has planning permission for a bungalow - even though it has no garden or parking.

Church conversions are also more popular.

JW Wood, of Durham, has a Grade II-listed Presbyterian church in Claypath, Durham, on the market for £695,000.

A spokesman for the firm said: "It is a big building inside and people looking at it have considered converting it into a hostel, a pub restaurant and residential use."

18th Century Grade II-listed Leech House in Bedale is the most unusual property that George F White has ever been asked to sell.

The small castellated house - just over 6ft square - was used in the early 1900s by local apothecaries for storing their leeches. Fully restored in 1991, it too is under offer.

Proof that an Englishman's home really is a castle was given currency when one complete with turrets, imposing battlements and a long and royal history was sold recently.

Snape Castle, between Bedale and Ripon, in North Yorkshire, was once the home of Catherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII. The Grade I-listed building had an asking price of £325,000.