STARSTRUCK wannabes might currently inhabit the hallowed halls of Witanhurst House as part of BBC's Fame Academy.

But once it was the stately pile where a Warrington industrialist entertained the great and the good.

Former Warrington MP Sir Arthur Crosfield, whose family made their fortune at the Bank Quay soap works, was once the proud owner of the grade 2 listed property, hired by the BBC for the celebrity search.

After purchasing the estate, then known as Parkfield, in 1912, Crosfield is thought to have invested £1 million - equivalent to £20 million today - in the 17th century pile.

Crosfield and his wife, Greek millionairess Domini Elliadi, threw lavish parties there, attracting elite guests including Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

Witanhurst also provided the backdrop for TV's Nicholas Nickleby and lesbian bodice-ripper Tipping The Velvet.