Lane Cottage, Moor End, Kelfield

It’s that time of day, time to draw the curtains against the world and settle in for the evening.

And here, inside Lane Cottage, there is a lovely warm atmosphere. The house is lit up against the coming dark and there is a delicious aroma rising from a pan of homemade soup bubbling on the hob.

The Anderson children are snuggled up watching television in the living room and mum is keeping an eye on supper.

“Well,” says Lynn Anderson, “this is a lovely warm house, it’s very much a family home.”

It certainly has been for Lynn and husband Kevin, who came here 10 years ago and have since introduced three children into the world – and into their home on Moor End in the village of Kelfield.

“The children love it,” Lynn adds, “they have lots and lots of space.” to run around in and have fun.”

That space comes both inside and outside. The house has extensive gardens which we just have time to view before the light fades.

There is a large rear garden mostly laid to lawn, with paved and gravel paths running down to a seating area under a grandfatherly magnolia tree, while to the front there is another extensive lawned area which includes a chicken coop (although the chickens are no longer in residence) and lots of running around room – as well as plenty of parking space.

“The gardens are all fully enclosed,” says Lynn, “so you can let the children run around in safety.”

Not that safety is a problem in Kelfield, a remarkably peaceful village. “When we first came one of the neighbours said there had been some crime, once. Eight years earlier someone had had some ladders pinched.”

Safe space and plenty of it outside the house, then – and plenty of room inside, too. You first get a sense of just how spacious the property is when you stand in the rear garden and look back at the house.

Originally a pair of labourers’ cottages, and dating back to around 1860, the property has been twice extended – once by previous owners and once by the Andersons – so that two extra ‘wings’ have been added to the original building.

Both extensions – and other refurbishment work carried out by Lynn and Kevin – have been done sympathetically, introducing modern comforts while preserving the character and charm of what is a very individual, quirky, in the best sense of the word, home.

The kitchen/dining room illustrates those qualities quite beautifully. There is an Indian slate tiled floor underfoot and a mix of original and newly introduced – and cleverly copied – beams overhead. There are farmhouse Shaker style cream and white wall and base units and complementary solid wood work surfaces.

And then, impressively, there is a triple oven electric Belling range with large induction hob.

From here the space flows gently into a dining area before tumbling out, via French doors, into a bright, light conservatory garden room.

“It’s a nice entertaining space,” says Kevin, freshly returned from work and with two of the children dancing happily around his feet. “We have had some great nights around this table. And in the lounge.”

Ah, the lounge – here is another wow factor spot, a big, sprawling room, enlarged by the extension, with a log-burning stove set into a recess below a solid oak mantel at its heart.

“I always wanted a large lounge,” Lynn says, “ a big, comfortable family space and this is just perfect.”

Lynn also wanted a tucked away utility room and she has that, too, having a laundry room and storage room and an office overlooking the garden all set into the other ‘wing’ of the house.

It is the same story upstairs – this may be called a cottage but it is very certainly a house – where there is also a lot of floor space.

And a lot of character, too, beginning with a guest bedroom which has an en-suite with a walk-in shower (there is also a smart family bathroom with solid wood floors and overhead beams and a free-standing bath).

Along the landing there are three further bedrooms – all good sized rooms and with country views – before you reach the master bedroom.

This is yet another character-filled space, with a high, vaulted ceiling and a walk-in dressing room/wardrobe and a smart, contemporary, en-suite bathroom.

And, as an additional and unexpected touch, it has French doors opening to a Juliet balcony and with a view of the allotments.

“Which are nicer to look at in the spring and summer than in the winter,” says Lynn.

The allotments, incidentally, are only one of several community-orientated aspects of Kelfield, with the village institute providing a busy base for a number of social events and gatherings.

“You can join in as much as you want or not, depending on how you are,” Lynn says.

“And the other thing about Kelfield,” she adds, “is that while it is very rural and peaceful you are still close to commuting links. Kevin works in York and Hull and I work in Leeds and you can get to all of them really easily. It’s a best of all worlds, situation. really.”

Ah but that soup is now ready, it’s time for supper, to close the curtains and settle down all cosy and comfortable.

And with supper about to be served, it’s time for me to go… with just a wistful backward glance.

At a glance...

Lane Cottage, Moor End, Kelfield

Reception rooms: 3 plus garden room/conservatory

Bedrooms: 5. Two with en-suite.

Gardens: Private enclosed rural gardens to front and back.

Wow factor: A superb, spacious living room just losing out to a warm and cosy characterful kitchen/dining room.

Price: Offers around £439,500.

Contact: R M English. Phone: 01904 697900.