Stately Albion Ltd - Chatsworth Gold Virtual Tour

The Chatsworth Gold is one of the homes Stately-Albion has on display at the company’s exhibition centre at the Kirklees Light Railway. Mike Parker takes a look at this popular model.

 

THE CHATSWORTH Gold is a popular, middle-of-the-road home of a straightforward design both elegant and attractive. There is a relatively modest frontage with a gable roof above the glass-panelled front door, which also has glass panels either side, all featuring coloured glass insets. Either side of the front door are carriage lamps, antique style, but not too baroque. Near-full height, multi-paned bay windows (‘Georgian’ glazing) sit at either end of the facade, with multi-paned patio doors to the right of the front door opening onto the dining area.

The corners of the building have full height stone-effect decoration, and at the lounge end there are normal height twin bay windows. Door, frames, guttering and downpipes are all solid white uPVC.

Come in to my parlour

Passing through the front door, you enter a quite spacious hall. There’s plenty of scope here for adding coat and shoe racks, umbrella stands, perhaps even a small wardrobe, and perhaps a dresser or cabinet opposite the entrance.

Having entered through the front door, to the left is an open arch, with white-covered wood framing, leading into the dining area. This is not huge space, but the patio doors let in lots of light. There is a dining table with six comfortable upholstered chairs, a single, low radiator on the partition wall, and two ceiling inset lights.

A wider arch in similar style leads through to the rectangular lounge. This has a real sense of space, helped by the large bay window to the side and the two smaller bay windows on the end wall, which make it wonderfully light and airy. When the curtains are closed, eight ceiling inset lights provide plenty of illumination, and there is also a picture light on the wall above the fireplace.

The latter encloses a feature electric fire on the partition wall, with a light marble-effect hearth and a white-covered wood surround. Further heat would be supplied by a pair of radiators below the bay windows on the end wall.

Around the fireplace in the show home was a very comfortable three piece suite comprising an armchair, a double sofa and a triple. The impressive drapes here and in the diner are hung on chunky gold rails.

The lounge is adequately supplied with power points and there is a TV aerial plug beside the twin power point in one corner.

All-in-all, this lounge/dining area is an excellent space for entertaining or relaxing. You would need to supply your own cabinets, perhaps, and other bits and piece, but I wouldn’t recommend filling up the room too much. The amount of light the room enjoys makes it ideal for a minimalist approach.

Cook’s corner

Off the dining area, accessed through a glass-panelled door, is the kitchen, and this, too, is a well-proportioned room, lit by ceiling inset lights. To the left as you enter is a nice long worktop with cupboards above and below – two of the upper cupboards are glass-panelled, illuminated and have glass shelves. There is lighting above the worktops.

In the corner is the back door – there’s not much space around it, though, so it’s not too convenient as an alternative entry for the muddy-booted.

Beneath the window in the back wall is a vinyl sink and drainer, with workspace either side, space beneath with plumbing for a washing machine, and more cupboard space. In the corner, above the worktops is the cupboard containing the combi gas boiler. The remaining L-shaped workspace includes the four-burner gas hob with electric oven beneath and extractor hood above, and there are more cupboards both above and below the worktops, including two more glass-fronted and shelved units. The fridge/freezer sits at the end of the worktops, behind the door.

The floor is plank effect vinyl, and the walls above the worktops are nicely tiled, with an attractive frieze, and the fascias are whit with chrome pulls.

Like the lounge, this kitchen is a good space – plenty of room for more than one cook at a time, and some left over for the wine-sipping spectator.

Wash and go, to sleep

Back in the entrance hall, a door opens into passageway leading to the bedrooms and bathroom. First, though, to the left, is a very useful walk-in cupboard with nice, deep shelves. A good spot for the vacuum cleaner and golf clubs – you might even be able to fit a bicycle in there. In the ceiling above the passage is the entry to the loft area – again, a useful bit of storage space.

To the right is the bathroom. The corner bath might be a squeeze for the taller amongst us, but it does have a corner seat. The sink is a nice size and shape, with a cabinet beneath and an illuminated mirror above.

At the end of the passage is the second bedroom, with a full size double bed and bedside cabinets either side. There are cupboards above and a three-door wardrobe running the length of the partition wall with a slightly-above-eye-level shelf.

There’s not too much space to spare, but the room does enjoy masses of light from the second of the high bay windows on the front of the home. The room light here is from a pendant hung above the bed.

On the right at the end of the passage is the master bedroom. This is similarly furnished as far as the bed, bedside cabinets, overhead cupboards and wardrobe are concerned – though the wardrobe is four-door sized, with mirrored panels (and contains the consumer electrical unit – very conveniently waist high, which is a definite plus).

In each corner of the back wall are chests of drawers, and these are connected by a shelf below the window and above a low radiator. It would definitely be useful as a vanity table with the addition of a mirror and seat.

To the right as you enter the master bedroom is the (carpeted) en suite, with pedestal, oval mirror and a corner shower, not huge, but adequate.

Final impressions

I like the Chatsworth Gold. It’s an unpretentious home with good lines and an exterior that is pleasing to the eye.

Inside, the lounge/diner and the kitchen give the ‘daytime’ end of the home a very spacious feel. You wouldn’t feel cramped if you were entertaining, and the kitchen would be a good environment in which to prepare for those guests – plenty of workspace and plenty of storage space.

The décor, curtains and upholstery throughout are pleasant and tasteful and the lounge/diner and kitchen are nicely proportioned.

The Chatsworth Gold is a nice, modest, well-made home, at a very reasonable price. Take a look – and if you go to the showground, take the train as well.

STATELY-ALBION CHATSWORTH GOLD

Type: Twin unit park home
Standard: BS3632
Size: 40ftx20ft as seen
Bedrooms: 2
Price: The home in our video was sited at Britannia Parks’ Peppercorn Park at Clapham Bedfordshire, with a turnkey price of £149,995, including block paved drive, landscaped garden and patio, garden shed, brick skirt and steps.
Other versions: 44ftx20ft (2 bedrooms); 46ftx20ft (3 bedrooms); 48ftx20ft (3 bedrooms)

Stately-Albion Ltd
Prince of Wales Industrial Estate, Abercarn, Newport NP11 5AR
Tel: 01495 244472
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.stately-albion.co.uk
Showground: Kirklees Light Railway, Park Mill Way, Clayton West, West Yorkshire HD8 9XJ
Showground tel: 01484 865727

Back to "General" Category