Ann and Michael Moorhouse love their home in Rosley near Wigton and reckon it was a forgone conclusion that they would buy it. Ann explained. "The children went to Rosley Primary School when we lived in Wigton so we knew the area and had been looking for a house here for quite some time.

"When Barnet Rigg came up, we just fell in love with it. Before then we actually used to come along the track and sit at the side of the property, look at it and just dream about what it would be like to live there. When we finally got to buy it, we were really happy."

The house was built by a Victorian quarry owner and has four reception rooms and four bedrooms. There is a lower-ground floor which has been converted to a separate suite with its own living room, bedroom and shower room and the entire property has interesting architectural features.

Ann said: "The house was formerly two cottages and at some point a man called James McKie, who owned and worked the quarry in woods about 300m from the house, built this as his own residence.

"The converted cellars have vaulted ceilings and a cantilevered spiral staircase goes all the way through the house. The study and the drawing room are a single-storey extension. One used to be the wash house, which is why it has a fancy chimney.

"I think James McKie did a lot of fancy stonework and brought clients here. Apparently the quoins on the corners are set out, which is something special. These, the wash house chimney, the beautiful spiral staircase and an arch in the kitchen are his work, as show-off pieces."

When the Moorhouses moved to Barnet Rigg with their children Naomi, Johanna, Bethia and James, it had been run as a tenant farm and was fairly down at heel.

"When we first bought it, the house was empty and needed a lot of work so we treated it a bit like a barn conversion," said Ann.

"We relined all the walls, put in new plumbing and electrics, there’s a new kitchen, all that sort of stuff - we had to do from scratch and actually had a nice time, building it up. We re-roofed, put in a new septic tank, a new water supply. It took about 18 months.

"As always with renovating a house there were horror stories but eventually it was done and we were very happy with it. Naomi was married from here so it will be a nice part of our history. My husband is really sad to move on because he did all of the work and knows the house really well and our children missed the area when they moved into cities.

"I think the drawing room is probably my favourite because that’s where we have family gatherings and it has access out on to the decking where we’ve had barbecues and parties with the children. It’s a very versatile room. With all the renovation work we did, it’s a nice warm house, insulated and heated and stays very warm.

"I think probably our second favourite room is the kitchen as it’s such a nice big space. We’ve really enjoyed the fact that the house is big and versatile – we’ve probably had people sleeping in every room of the house, it’s been lovely."

The woods close to Barnet Rigg have public access where the Moorhouses have enjoyed walks to Chalk Beck and the wildlife includes deer, foxes, hares and owls.

The house has large gardens with lawns, gravelled and flagged terraces, decking and beds. There are lots of trees, some original but many planted by Michael.

Ann said: "We’ve loved living here. The only reason we’re selling is I have a problem with mobility and need a bungalow. We’ll be very sad to leave. It’s the house we always dreamed of having."

Barnet Rigg, Rosley, near Wigton, is for sale at £550,000 from H&H King, tel. 01228 810799. For more details, see here .