WHEN Michael Rothwell and Terry George bought their first house – a former council back-to-back – they never dreamed that 20 years later they would be at the top of the property ladder in the country's most des res.

Their £4m castle near Halifax has just been crowned Britain's Best Home by TV viewers.

Last night's final of Five's I Own Britain's Best Home series saw Carr Hall Castle beat 31 other houses vying for the coveted title and the £25,000 prize.

The property, with its period features, contemporary interiors and charismatic owners, wowed phone voters and the programme's presenters.

Mr George, 43, who grew up on a Leeds council estate, said: "Just to be asked to take part in the competition was an achievement in itself. We never expected to get through to the final, let alone win the title.

"To us it's everything we love about a home and to have other people voting for it as their favourite is a huge accolade.

"It is grand from the outside but once you step inside to any one of the rooms it has a cosy, intimate feel."

Businessmen Mr George and Mr Rothwell, who were the first gay couple to have a civil partnership ceremony, bought the 18th century property six years ago for £781,000 after seeing it advertised in the Yorkshire Post.

They spent five years and another £400,000 renovating and restyling it to their modern tastes, helped by interior architect Ben Huckerby. The Grade II listed home is in an idyllic valley with nine acres including a lake, woods and a deer park and now has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a bell tower, working water wheel and swimming pool. The couple, who also have homes in Spain and Morocco, share it with dogs Roxy, Ruby and Oscar, two ponies and a flock of geese.

It is all a far cry from their first home, a back-to-back in Leeds that cost £7,500 in 1988. Mr Rothwell's passion for property renovation and their business acumen helped them to the top of the housing ladder. They now have a large property portfolio and own bars and nightclubs including Bar Fibre, the Mission and Viaduct in Leeds. They also publish Bent, a magazine for gay men, and organise the MR Gay UK contest.

Mr Rothwell, 39, who grew up in a Salford council flat, said: "To go through five years of living on a building site, with all the mess and rubble, and working through the night on many occasions to get the house to the standard we wanted was hard work. To finally sit back and enjoy the delights of the property then to be told that we own Britain's best home is beyond belief.

"I think the reason why people chose our house and voted for us is because there is a real British dream for many people who want to live in a castle, and they could see us as two ordinary people who actually do live there." Mr George added: "I never dreamed I could have a house like this... "

The couple are donating their prize money to Cancer Research and to Gone too Soon (www.gonetoosoon.co.uk), a free memorial website founded by Mr George.

Carr Hall Castle is to feature in an hour-long special on Five next Thursday at 8pm.