Not many people can say they own a home where the front garden has a different address to the rest of the house, yet that is the case with this Grade II listed Eccleshill cottage.

Built in 1817, Moorside Cottage is a detached home full of charm and character that is typical of the late Georgian era.

It has spacious rooms and incorporates the convenience of gas heating and some partially double glazed windows, together with a modern kitchen and bathroom.

On the ground floor is a living room, sitting room/music room, dining room, breakfast kitchen, rear porch with WC, plus access to a basement storage room. Upstairs are four bedrooms and a family bathroom, while there are enclosed, private gardens at the back, together with outbuildings and a driveway with electric gates, leading to a double garage.

The current owner has lived there for the past eight years. It was thanks to his daughter that he bought the cottage.

“My daughter was good friends with the daughter of the previous owner, so she told me when it went up for sale and said it was just what I was looking for – and she was right,” he says.

“It was friendly and characterful, with a private garden, period features and decent sized rooms, with ample living space.

“I believe it was owned, and possibly built, by a William Smith – there are the initial WHS and the date 1817 above the front door. He was a cloth manufacturer, and I have been told that bolts of cloth used to be sold from a door, which is now a window.

“The front garden is actually called Smith Place, but I don’t know why. On the side of the house is a really faded advertisement for Smith Bros Garage, which I have been told conducted business on the premises.”

Moorside Cottage is full of original features, such as hand-cut floorboards.

“The beams are probably original, along with the cast iron fireplaces upstairs,” the owner says. “Some of the other features, such as the grander downstairs fireplaces, possibly range from mid-late Victorian to the early 20th century. There are some leaded-lights of birds in the front and back living rooms, which look hand-painted and are especially beautiful when the sun shines through them.”

A lot of work has been carried out on the property by the owner. The outer wall, including the chimney stack, was dismantled and rebuilt on one gable end, and part of the roof was turned.

“The cast iron guttering was replaced – like for like – because I regard the house as a part of history and it should be maintained as such.

“The outer garden wall was renewed and various parts repointed.

“The bathroom was replaced, an alarm fitted to both house and garage, while in several places outside, concrete was removed and replaced with stone flagging. We also put a stone patio in the lawn and put in a rose garden with box hedging surround.”

There’s a difference of opinion between the owner and his partner when it comes to which part of the house is their favourite.

“My favourite is the room where the piano is, which looks out on to the garden through the bay window. I can see the garden if I’m playing the piano, or the rose garden through the side window. It’s a warm and friendly room which was used by the previous owners as their every-day sitting room.

“On the other hand, my partner likes the rear bedroom, which has the same aspect. It’s light and sunny, and the modern decoration compliments the character features.”

The garden is will established with colour all year round. “We aren’t slaves to gardening and keep it tidy with minimal effort, having replanted some areas which were overgrown when we moved in.

“It’s wonderful to sit in the back garden, which is private and not overlooked. It’s great for a barbecue, playing football with our grandson or just to sit out on the patio with a drink.”

Moorside Cottage in Moorside Road, Eccleshill, is on the market for £289,950 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, Saltaire, tel (01274) 581794, web www.dacres.co.uk