Houses come with all sorts of extras – garden sheds, summer houses, conservatories – but, unlike Old Mill House, not many have their own smithy.

Now is the first time that this almost 160-year-old cottage, which was once two properties and could now lend itself to being split with an annexe for an extended family, has been on the open market.

Old Mill House forms part of a row of cottages which, despite their close association with Eldwick Beck Mill, were not built until after 1850, as there is no trace of the terrace on the Ordnance Survey map of 1852. It appears that the terrace was a row of six homes, plus the mill office at the southern end.

The cottages, which straddled Eldwick Beck, were for a time condemned as unfit to live in. The mill office was torn down with the mill, and the remaining cottages turned into two large houses.

The father of current owner Anna Sewrey had a close friendship with the previous owners of Old Mill House, which had been in the same family for many years. They had brought the house back to life from a derelict state after the closure of the mill.

“A gentleman’s agreement existed between the owners and my father, that if the house was ever sold, he was to have first refusal. When the house was available, he bought it.

“He was a Yorkshireman, and my mother was from Eldwick, which is what drew us to the area from Stanbourne in Essex 26 years ago,” says Anna, who lives there with husband Tony and son Robert.

“The house had two main changes that I can remember, the first being the conversion of the integral garage into a reception room. The other is the addition of the sun room to the end of the property. This is a great room and very well used, as it leads via French doors directly to the patio. If the sun is out, this is where you will find us most days.”

This is an impressive home, with a reception hall, spacious lounge, sun lounge, dining room, kitchen, sitting room or fifth bedroom, utility room and WC. On the first floor is the master bedroom with dressing room, which could be converted into an en-suite, three further bedrooms, a shower room and separate bathroom.

The property is approached by a private driveway which leads to a double garage, and the detached former smithy, which has Georgian style windows, electric, light and power and would make an ideal workshop or could be converted to a garden room.

Old Mill House has a number of lovely features, such as quarry tiles in the hall, windows on three sides in the living room and sun lounge, and a spacious utility room which was once a separate kitchen.

The sitting room or fifth bedroom has its own entrance and staircase, leading to the third and fourth bedroom and the shower room.

“Our favourite room is the sitting room, which is lovely to sit in as it is very light and airy with windows on three sides and a perfect view over the gardens,” says Anna. “It’s equally cosy on a winter’s night, with the open fire.

“The garden was a great passion of my mother’s. Most days she could be found out there, doing those jobs that just couldn’t wait.”

She says there has not been a great deal of change to the property in her time there, with the general layout remaining the same.

“But then we had no need to, as to us it was perfect. The only thing I can remember is that the driveway was slightly widened and, over the last couple of years, the smithy and the garages have had their roofs replaced.”

The family manage the day-to-day jobs such as the lawns and vegetable patch, with the help of a gardener.

“I will miss living at Old Mill House very much, but it is time for a fresh start – to let another family enjoy living in this beautiful setting. It’s a unique house that is on the open market for the first time, which tells you how much it has been loved by such a very few owners.”

Old Mill House at Eldwick Beck, Eldwick, is on the market for £475,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, Bingley, tel (01274) 560421, web www.dacres.co.uk