A PIECE of the North-East's railway heritage has been sold to raise money towards renovating a coach house that provided one of the first passenger services in the world.

A farmhouse attached to The Daniel Adamson Coach House, in Shildon, County Durham, has been bought by a mystery bidder.

The 1831 coach house was at the centre of the railway boom in the 1800s, linking the Surtees Railway to the Darlington and Stockton line.

From it, the landlord of the Grey Horse pub, Daniel Adamson, provided transport on his coach The Perseverance, which made 12 journeys a week along the line, carrying an average of 74 passengers.

In recent years it was merged with a neighbouring farmhouse to create a community centre to help the town's residents adapt to the closure of the wagon works in the early 1980s.

But lack of use forced the centre to close.

The Coach House will be used as a home for exhibits from Locomotion: National Railway Museum.

However, in order to pay to restore it, the farmhouse has had to be sold.

A spokesman for Sedgefield Borough Council said people interested in buying the farmhouse were invited to put in a sealed bid and last Friday was the closing date.

He said: "The building has generated a great deal of interest and we have had an offer which we are satisfied with. The idea for the sale has been a resounding success."

Shildon's mayor Stuart Bird welcomed the move.

He said: "The Daniel Adamson Coach House is a crucial part of Shildon's railway heritage.

"I am led to believe that it was the first rail ticket office in the world and it is brilliant that visitors to the town will be able to step back in time and see it as it once was.

"As for the farmhouse, it is nice to know that someone will be able to move in there and it will be preserved for future generations.''