Park Road, Bingley, £365,000, Waite & Co, Bingley (01274) 552081

The owners of this house certainly moved quickly when they saw it 12 years ago.

“We lived nearby and saw the ‘for sale’ sign on a Friday, viewed the house on Saturday, the owner of the house viewed our property on Sunday. We agreed prices and exchanged houses six weeks from that weekend, and two days before Christmas we moved in.

“We loved the period features, especially the ceiling rose in the front room and the staircase.”

The houses on this block of Park Road were the first to be built in the 1860s by a housing association made up of doctors, dentists, solicitor, and a builder who each contributed £100 for the basic house layout. They then paid extra to have the extension added to the rear, making each house individual.

“Fortunately the house had been in the same family for three generations at least, if not from when it was built, and the doors, cornice, skirting and staircase were untouched by the 1960s renewal.”

The kitchen was the first room to be renovated using ash wood for its warm glow for the ceiling panels, doors and fire surround over the cooker.

“This is where we spend most of our time, so I wanted it to feel cosy as well as be functional.

“I love the ceiling rose and ornate cornice in the lounge as it makes me feel in a wedding cake looking out.

“The workmanship and artistry is what I value about the house as often these have been destroyed due to poor maintenance or lack of appreciation as was the original fireplace in this room.”

Having found an original replacement, the owners gave the room back its Victorian splendour.

“Wallpaper in this room would not have been so textured and coloured in Victorian days, but we chose something we liked. It is about striking a balance between personal taste and style of that time.”

The other room where the owners have kept the Victorian atmosphere is the dining room. “There was no fire surround, but we were able to find a suitable mahogany one in an auction.

“The wallpaper in the dining room is perfect and creates the dark romantic, Victorian feel we wanted to achieve.”

Finding the right wallpapers involved hours of looking through pattern books, but it was worth it, giving the house a rich, yet cosy feel, keeping original features and replacing those that have been removed. “We have also introduced stained glass panels for their beauty and light quality.”

The cellar had the original stone shelves, cold table and a large stone sink and stone flooring removed. It was tanked out, and the stone floor replaced with tiles. “Now there is a lovely office space overlooking the courtyard, an area to do the laundry, chill-out zone and a very useful pantry.”

The original washbasins in two bedrooms at the top of the house were kept, together with the fireplace and cast-iron radiator.

“The bedrooms on the middle floor are large and an en-suite was built in the corner of one of them, and the number of bathrooms has increased to cope with modern living. The original house bathroom was modernised and the master bedroom now has a Victorian-style en suite.

“I feel we are custodians of the house and the improvements we have made are in keeping with current living standards and expectations.”

Another labour of love was the original tiled flooring in the hall. It took a week to repair areas where the tiles were missing using replaced pieces from a damaged area near the rear entrance. Now this is an impressive feature.

“Our favourite room has to be the dining room, because we have had some memorable meals there, eating in an atmosphere from a different era.

“The rear garden is more than double its original size due to a garden-loving previous owner more than 50 years ago who used a neighbour’s land to grow fruit and eventually acquired it for a shilling over a pint in the pub.”

It is very private with a pond, trees, composting, patio and decorative areas round two circular lawned areas, and being south-facing is a very personal, quiet, secluded haven of sunshine in summer.

“There is also large workshop and planning permission has been granted to build a house with garden space and garage.”

The backyard is a Gaudi-inspired courtyard with tile mosaic pond, curved planter, concrete tree and unusual oak door with coloured glass. “It is here I sit on a warm day and have breakfast outside among the plants, hidden from neighbours and the world and make believe I am on holiday.

“The house holds many memories for me – the children growing up, the garden and the time spent eating with friends in the dining room.

“What I shall miss most though is the space and elegance of the rooms.”