'We restored historic Bradford home's Victorian splendour'

Built over three floors, this Grade II-listed home close to Lister Park, has extensive and flexible accommodation including four bedrooms – one with an ensuite dressing room and bathroom. The house also includes a studio bedsit, which is currently let out, but could be incorporated into the main home.

“When my husband was studying for his PhD he spent most of his free time discovering the many beautiful buildings in and around the city,” says one of the owners.

“Interested in architecture, he was fascinated by the group of eight Victorian houses in the conservation area near Lister Park.

“Approached down a long private drive and overlooking a wooded Dell, with sunken gardens, the whole area looked like something from an old story book and he fell under its spell.”

When one came on the market in 1980, they were initially shocked by the state of it, but luckily could see the potential.

Divided into three self-contained flats – one on each floor – the main entrance was used by all the tenants, but the back door was for the use of the ground floor tenants only.

Fortunately, the middle flat was empty so renovations could begin.

A large chimney had to be taken down and rebuilt, repairs made to the gabled roof and new bargeboarding at the front. The old iron fire escape at the side of the house was removed because it was unsafe, the lower section of the doorway rebuilt, and a large, etched opaque window fitted in the top half.

“As soon as the house became weatherproof we began on the interior. Gas central heating was installed and one of the bedrooms became a large dining kitchen, then the more enjoyable stage of renovating began.

“The most amazing room was the Drawing Room, where a beautiful marble fire place had been painted with pale blue gloss, as were the anaglypta-covered walls.

Luckily the original floor tiles and beautiful monogrammed glass panelled inner door, a skylight and some cornicing had survived from 1864 in the outer hall and three rooms on the ground floor still had original wooden shutters.

“It was definitely a labour of love as we both had full-time jobs as well. We spent many hours stripping walls, standing on a scaffolding tower or ladders in order to paint and paper to our own taste. It took years, and of course a great deal of the work needed planning consent before we could begin.”

When the other tenants moved away, the owners started to change it into a family home with an inner staircase added from what was their bedroom, to become the new dining room.

Upstairs, one bedroom was knocked through to the main en-suite bedroom to incorporate a dressing room, and an old kitchen was completely removed to become a single bedroom. “We also made another en-suite and pinched another bedroom for a large utility room.”

Downstairs, a studio flat was converted, as was an office, and a garden room with a small kitchen between the two. “This area was mostly used for business but was very useful when family overflowed the upper floors.

At last the house was finished and it was time to move outside. “The back garden had an ugly asphalt path right from the back gate to the back door, so a new lawn – with shrubs on one side and a herbaceous border on the other – was laid across it. There is also a new flagged patio,where many barbecues have been enjoyed in the past.

“There are five cellars under the house, several filled with ‘things that might be useful for the other properties’, which we cleared.

“The wine cellar, however, was used strictly for its proper purpose and was regularly visited when large family gatherings took place. Two 21st birthdays have been celebrated here. Two brides have left for their weddings from here and we once held a Dickensian Evening for Bradford Blaize Rotary Club on a dark and foggy November night. As as all the members came in Victorian costume, it must have looked very strange to the neighbours.

“This has been a very happy house, full of memories of huge family Sunday lunches with sometimes four generations round the table.”

“It is time to downsize now and we all hope that a new family will have as much fun here as we did.

So if anyone is looking for a house with character, no ghosts and a peaceful secluded area, this could be the one!