House with a cheeky history up for grabs

"It might be a bit off-putting," said Lynda, who need not worry about the reaction from would-be buyers.

Those bottoms belong to the Calendar Girls, who are probably the most famous nudes in photographic history.

The 11 members of Rylstone WI arranged themselves naked, save for a few strategically-placed props, all over the Logans' historic home for a photo shoot that sparked a global sensation and a host of copycat calendars

Now the 17th century Dales property and Calendar Girls' HQ is up for sale for 845,000.

The beautiful four-bedroom house, which comes with a two- bedroom holiday cottage and a feast of period features, is in the village of Threshfield, near Grassington.

It is at the heart of the story that took the world by storm 10 years ago and its stunning interior has been filmed by every major TV network in Europe and America.

"A lot of decisions were taken here and I don't think the shots would've worked like they did without the variety of backdrops and friendly ambience in this house," said Lynda, who is Miss July

"We rented it while we were house hunting in Harrogate and the owner offered to sell it to us. I always think this house came to us for a reason. It was meant to be."

The thought of leaving it brings tears to her eyes.

She and Terry, both successful artists, bought the house in 1997 and shortly afterwards John Baker was diagnosed with lymphoma.

His wife Angela, a fellow WI member and mother-in-law to the Logans' daughter, told him of Tricia Stewart's idea for an alternative WI calendar in the style of Pirelli. It made him laugh when he was ill and he thought they'd never do it. When John died in August 1998, they did it in his memory for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

The tantalising sepia-tinted pictures were shot by Terry, a former art director,"The girls wanted a woman to take the pictures and I said I'd do it as Terry had all the equipment, but he was shouting instructions from behind the kitchen door and in then end we just said: "for goodness sake come in'," said Lynda.

His elegant pictures celebrated the beauty of older women while protecting their modesty with everything from baking bowls to knitting and a teapot.

"We did it because of our love and admiration for John and we wanted to sell enough to raise 1,000. We thought we might make local papers and the Yorkshire Post," said Lynda.

They were soon on the front of the New York Times and the world went wild for them.

A film, starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, came out in 2003 followed by a stage play.

Just six Calendar Girls remain after the others slipped out of the spotlight, but they continue to boost the 2.5m already raised and there is a new recipe calendar for 2011.

The house will no longer be the backdrop for the calendars, but the Baker's Half Dozen intend to carry on shooting them and their advancing ages (the oldest member is 76) are no deterrent to stripping off.

n Park Grange and Pemba Cottage are for sale with Carter Jonas tel: 01423 523423 www.carterjonas.co.uk

n The 2011 Calendar Girls recipe calendar and other merchandise are for sale on www.leukaemiashop.com tel: 0844 8467607

Calendar girls... 12 years laid bare

1998: The first calendar is shot by Terry Logan in October and stars 11 members of Rylstone WI.

1999: The calendar is launched in April and the world goes mad for it. By December 330,000 has been raised for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

2003: A film of the story starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters is a big hit.

2007: Skipton-based Whitakers launch Calendar Girls Chocolates in another fundraising initiative.

2008: A stage show written by Tim Firth is launched and becomes a big hit.

2010: The Girls are voted Yorkshire Women of the Year at the Yorkshire Rural Awards.