LETTERS detailing the thoughts, feelings and frustrations of Ulverston-born comedy star Stan Laurel are expected to sell for thousands of pounds at an auction this week.

A collection of 41 letters written by Laurel - famous for his partnership with Oliver Hardy - will be sold at a three-day auction at Anderson & Garland in Newcastle.

They are being sold on behalf of Laurel and Hardy fans Rodney and Margaret Hardcastle, from York, who have built up a huge collection of memorabilia over 40 years.

Mr Hardcastle, a former chairman of York Theatre Royal, said they were selling the letters because of a decision to downsize their home.

Mrs Hardcastle said: “It’s a fascinating collection. We’ve always valued the letters, not in a financial sense, but through being able to have them.

“We bought them at Sotheby’s in the late 1990s. We couldn’t go to the auction because of work, so we thought we’d put a bid in and we didn’t think we’d get them. We were delighted when Sotheby’s rang and said we needed to pay.”

The letters have been valued at between £8,000 and £12,000 following the sale of a single letter by Laurel for £1,400 last year.

Laurel wrote the letters to his cousin Nellie Bushby from various locations including his Californian home, a film set in France and from a UK tour.

They detail his thoughts on his future following the death of his comedy partner Oliver Hardy and his frustrations at being able to work because of illness while filming in France.

Other subjects include the death of George VI and succession of Elizabeth II, sailing on the Queen Mary at the same time as Winston Churchill, and family matters.

Alongside the letters the couple are selling a collection of six Laurel and Hardy letters to a fan called Peter Preece, a signed photograph of the comedians and a picture of Laurel’s ship in California.

Their collection also has a letter from Oliver Hardy's wife thanking Nellie for her letter of respect after Hardy’s death, theatre programmes and play bills, and a copy of Laurel’s birth certificate.

Anderson and Garland auctioneer, Fred Wyrley-Birch said: “For me, the family collection is the most interesting I’ve ever come across because of the amount of personal detail.

“The letters give a fantastic insight into the personal life of a very public man.”

They go on sale between between tomorrow and Thursday (September 15 and 17).