ANNE Doherty was heavily pregnant the day she and husband Nick arrived in the village of Kelfield and first set eyes on George House.

Little did she know, that day 17 years ago, that this was to be the home in which she was not only to raise that first child but two others.

“It has,” she says now, “been a brilliant family home. Our three boys have all grown up here and it has been a fantastic place to live.”

Not that it was exactly love at first sight. Anne recalls peeking through windows and seeing what looked like a small kitchen.

Nick, who had seen the house earlier, laughed. “That’s the utility room!”

(It was perhaps an understandable mistake on Anne’s part – we have

seen smaller kitchens in some houses we’ve viewed)

Now, standing in the kitchen proper, Anne and Nick are still smiling at the memory of that first viewing.

“You don’t quite get what the house has to offer from the front,” Nick says. “It doesn’t stand out that much. It’s only when you get inside – and look out at the garden – that you get to see it at its best.”

Actually, we thought the house looked just fine from the front, a handsome mellow brick façade, set behind cherry trees in full pink blossom bloom.

But Nick is right, it’s when you step inside that you really appreciate just how much the house has to offer.

And most of all when you reach the rooms at the back and look out over gardens that sweep away into the big blue sky open countryside.

There’s space for a football or cricket pitch (and in this case we are speaking almost literally) on the long lawns which are framed to one side by mature trees and a picket fence to the other.

And there is more on offer here… in the shape of a 1.3-acre paddock beyond – ideal, then not just for footballers and cricketers but for horse-lovers, too.

It is not just the extensive grounds which make this the ideal house for entertaining.

There is a wonderful wealth of space inside, with a lovely, gentle flow to the rooms.

In particular here at the back where a large kitchen space runs easily into a family area, which in turn opens to a light, bright and airy garden room.

“I do like the flow here,” Anne says, “it’s an ideal entertaining space because you can be cooking in the kitchen and chatting to people in the family room at the same time.”

What’s more, there is plenty of character on show.

The kitchen features an exposed brick Inglenook inset with beam over and housing an oil-fired Aga.

And there is a similar styling to the family room which boasts a feature brick fireplace, wooden mantel and multi-fuel burning stove sitting on a raised slate hearth.

“One of the things that really attracted us to the house was that while it was modern, built around 20 years ago, it had lots of traditional, period-style touches,” Anne says.

It isn’t the only best-of-both worlds advantage to the house, as Nick explains: “We wanted to live in a village, in a rural setting, but we needed to be somewhere that had good transport links so we could get to work easily.”

Kelfield, sitting a short distance from the A19 Selby-York road and within striking distance of the A1 and M62, was the ideal spot.

“We have the peace and tranquility of living in a village with a great rural outlook, yet the main roads are just a short drive away,” he says.

Small wonder, then, that Anne and Nick were so taken with the house – a passion that hasn’t been lost over those ensuing 17 years – particularly as in that time they have made the house their own, adding new kitchen and bathrooms, windows and doors and with Anne’s eye for design giving it a super stylish presentation.

But enough of waxing lyrical, we have more to see.

As well as that wonderful wrap of rooms to the back of the house the ground floor also offers a beautifully proportioned front sitting room as well as a further sitting room/study/extra bedroom.

Not that you would need to use it in the latter guise – upstairs there is more of that lovely, spacious layout with the master bedroom having a dressing area and a large en-suite; a guest bedroom also with en-suite and three more bedrooms served by a splendid house bathroom.

All of those bedrooms make the most of countryside views – obviously most especially at the back where the fields seem to stretch away forever.

But there is a charm to the front rooms, too… standing in the master bedroom you are taken with the delightful sight of a mass of cherry blossom peeking in at the window, waving in a gentle breeze.

And that in many ways is this house in a single moment… a brilliant, spacious character-filled property enjoying a stunningly beautiful rural setting.

As Anne says, perhaps thinking back to that first visit: “We’ve been very lucky to have found this house because it really has been a wonderful place to raise the family.

“We’ve loved it here.”

At a glance

George House, Kelfield

Reception rooms: 4

Bedrooms: 5.

Bathrooms: 3 (plus cloakroom).

Gardens: Gardens running down to a 1.3-acre paddock (available by separate agreement). Detached double garage.

Wow factor: Superb rooms at the back of the house with brilliant views of countryside.

Price: Offers over £475,000.

Contact: Stephensons on 01904 625533.