It took three years to get it just how she wanted it. Three years of living pretty much in a building site. But the end result is a stunning conversion of a splendid Victorian terrace home into a cosy, functional, modern living space that has lost none of its splendid Victorian charm.

Original features from well over 100 years ago have been retained and lovingly restored, and where those features had been taken out, they have been put back so that the character is perfectly brought out of the spacious rooms on all of its four levels.

Its position at the heart of the bustling town of Shipley was the clinching factor in the choice of the owner when she came to take up a university post ten years ago from the south.

The four-bedroom mid-terrace house had everything she was looking for in a home – potential, comfort, accessibility to shops and transport, and a lovely ‘feel’ about the people who lived all around her.

She said: “I checked out Leeds, Bradford, Shipley, Saltaire and Bingley, and finally settled on Shipley because I liked the feel of the town.

“It was as simple as that. It was cosmopolitan, people were friendly and the town was clean and picturesque. I liked the convenience of Shipley town centre.

“The house needed a lot of work but I was attracted to the space inside, to its proximity to the town centre and the train station.”

Built in the late 19th century, it’s a typical Victorian home – solidly-made with high ceilings and plenty of character. The owner has done a considerable amount of work to the property, yet it still has the intrinsic charm that houses of the period often have.

It has a ground floor reception hall, lounge, sitting room and cloakroom, with a modern kitchen, utility and dining room on the lower ground floor. There are two bedrooms on the second floor with a modern, four-piece bathroom, two further attic bedrooms and a small garden at the front.

“I just loved the fact that it was a Victorian period home, with a big basement that offered potential for conversion,” she said.

“All the rooms were renovated to expose the original fireplaces and I added original features where they had been removed, like the fireplace in the study.

“The basements were dry-lined and completely refurbished with new gas piping and electrics. Then the garden at the back was re-paved for off-road parking, and the bathroom was completely overhauled.”

The work took around three years, but she didn’t mind as she wanted to make sure she got it right. For instance, the floorboards are all original and have been polished, plus the open fire in the living room was exposed.

“It’s been lovely having a real log and coal fire in the winter months. The range in the dining room is an original Taylor & Parsons; when I was having the work done, lots of the builders wanted to buy it, but I love the original features of these homes and had no intention of parting with it.”

The kitchen, in the lower ground floor, was the last thing to go into the house – the original kitchen is now the downstairs cloakroom.

Upstairs, there are cast iron fireplaces in two of the bedrooms, and one of them is not only original but also works.

The owner’s favourite room is the kitchen: “The kitchen has been a real hub of activity in all the time I have been living here. We have had umpteen parties and get-togethers, and it has never felt small.

“It has always been a novelty to my guests that they have had to go down the stairs to the kitchen. Because there is a door to the back garden in the kitchen, it always meant that summer barbecues were popular.

“I have loved my home. It has been a brilliant space, with big rooms and high ceilings, so full of character. I have enjoyed entertaining in my basement and relaxing in front of the open fire. It has been an ideal home.

“I am very sad to be leaving and would have gladly lived out many more years here, if it wasn’t for the fact that I have got another job down south.

“I will miss everything about my home: the luxury living, after years of it being a building site, with always something to do; having a supermarket round the corner, for the party food I forgot; Shipley and Saltaire, for its coffee shops for lunching with friends; and my lovely neighbours.”

Selborne Terrace, Shipley,m is on the market at £194,950 with William H Brown, Shipley Tel: (01274) 531233.