STATELY-ALBION'S 36ft x 20ft Warwick, though designed primarily for leisure use, is built to BS 3236 standard and can therefore be sited on residential parks, too. It is available in two or three-bedroom models, and the one I visited was the three-bedroom version.

Externally, the home has a pitched roof, but the corners of the front wall of the lounge/dining/kitchen area are at 45 degrees to the two side walls. The external cladding is Canexel simulated timber planking with brown rainwater goods. Entry to the home is either through a sliding patio door into the lounge area or via a conventional door into the dining area.
 
As you go into the home through the patio door the dining area is immediately on your right with the kitchen beyond it at one o’clock. In the show home the dining area had been laid out for six people but there would be little difficulty in seating another two to four people. And with the lounge area being basically equal to that of both the dining and kitchen areas, this is a home with plenty of space for entertaining.

Generous

From the lounge a door leads into the hallway. The first door on the left is the bathroom. This is a generous size with the bath running along the wall opposite the door. The wall here is tiled the full length and either end of the bath and there is a shower on the wall above the taps. Next to the bath is a pedestal washbasin with about a foot of tiling on the wall above it and an oval shaped mirror above the tiling. To the left of the washbasin is the low level WC facing a radiator on the opposite wall.

A criticism of the show home would be that there was no light above the mirror, no storage for toiletries, and no towel rail or toilet roll holder. Perhaps these items will be included in the production models.

No overcrowding

The kitchen is separated from the lounge by a low-level wall. The lounge is big enough to take three and two-seater sofas, as well as an armchair, without overcrowding the room. The focal point is the fireplace at the mid-point of the left-hand wall of the home.

The feeling of spaciousness is increased by the patio door unit and full length windows in the front wall and both angled corner walls, plus the pitched ceiling with its two pendant
units – one in the dining area – each with three lights.

Lighting in the kitchen is via four adjustable halogen lights on a brushed chrome curved light bar fitted on the ceiling.

Black and white

The kitchen has a U-shaped layout and is well appointed. In the show home it had a ‘love it or hate it’ black and white colour scheme – though other colour schemes are available.

The standard equipment includes an electric oven, a four-burner gas hob with an extractor above it, a freestanding fridge/freezer, and a washing machine but, sadly in my opinion, no dishwasher.

The LPG boiler is housed in a cupboard in the corner of the kitchen and though there is a reasonable number of storage cupboards and drawers, I felt the lack of any form of larder was a drawback. Also, the walls have only been partially tiled with black and white tiles.

Because of the pitched roof, the wall units do not go all the way up to the ceiling, which could result in dirt and dust collecting on the tops of the cupboards.

Roomy

Opposite the bathroom is the first of the three bedrooms – bedroom 2 on the layout drawing. Like the bathroom it is a good size, with room for two single beds with a bedside cabinet between them. Between the bottom of the bed on the party wall with the kitchen is a one-and-a-half door wardrobe. The reason for the half door is because below it is a chest of three drawers that, together with the wardrobe, provides a reasonable amount of storage for two people.

On the wall opposite the foot of the other bed is a radiator with an oval mirror above it. Once again, there is no light above the mirror but, in this instance, it’s perhaps not surprising as the door opens onto this wall and in so doing, might hit any wall light fitted here.

Well supplied

Immediately to the left of the shower room is bedroom 3, almost an exact copy of bedroom 2 except that the wall mirror and radiator are on the wall next to the chest of drawers. Which brings us to the main bedroom, situated in the corner of the home between bedrooms 2 and 3.

As you enter from the hall, there is a double bed on the home’s rear wall with a bedside cabinet each side and a row of five overbed cupboards. As you face the bedhead, the left-hand party wall with bedroom 3 is taken up by two double-door, floor-to-ceiling wardrobes. On the wall opposite the bottom of the bed is a long dressing table with a three-drawer unit either side of the kneehole. There an oval mirror on the wall above, but no light.

The home is well supplied with power points and radiators – there’s even one in the master’s fitted ward-robe – and also worth noting is the loft access  in the hallway.

Shower down

Across the hallway from bedroom 2 is a coat cupboard that encroaches into the shower room. The shower room itself has a corner shower cubicle, pedestal washbasin and low level WC but, like the bathroom, there was nowhere to store toiletries, no light over the mirror, and no towel rail or toilet roll holder.

The walls in the shower cubicle and between the washbasin and the mirror above it have been tiled and, as in the case of the bathroom, there is an obscure glazed window and extractor fan in the outside wall.

OUR VERDICT

This particular home was built for the Lawns show, so some of my criticisms may not apply to the production models. I’m sure items such as towel rails and toilet roll holders are not extras, but I was concerned at the lack of lights above the wall-mounted mirrors. Also important is the lack of storage space in the bathroom and shower room – which could be overcome by fitting the washbasins on cabinet units rather than simple pedestals.

As a holiday home, the Warwick will win many friends. As a residential home for all-year-round living I believe that, with these suggested changes, it could also prove extremely popular. In fact, about the only other thing it needs for all-year-round living is space for a dishwasher. And if the kitchen radiator were moved, it would also be possible to have a tall larder cupboard without it encroaching on the dining area.

But when it comes to a question of popularity, the real clincher for me is the ex-works price of £59,809 (inc VAT). I think you will be hard put to find another three-bedroom home of this quality for under £60,000!

Technical details
• Type: Twin unit lodge style leisure or residential home
• Standard: BS3632
• Size: 36ft x 20ft
• Bedrooms: 2

Other versions
• 36ft x 20ft 2 bedroom

Main features
• Three good size bedrooms
• Clothes storage space in bedrooms
• Separate bathroom and shower room
• Washing machine standard
• Fridge/freezer standard
• Leisure home built to BS3632

Room sizes – Please note all dimensions are approximate only.
• Lounge 15ft 10in x 9ft 8in
• Dining/kitchen 16ft 6in x 9ft 8in
• Master bedroom 9ft 5in x 10ft 7in
• Bedroom 2 9ft 5in x 7ft 8in
• Bedroom 3 9ft 5in x 7ft 8in
• Bathroom 5ft 6in x 6ft 6in
• shower room 5ft 6in x 6ft 6in

Price
£59,809 ex works (inc VAT)

CONTACT

Stately-Albion Ltd, Prince of Wales Industrial Estate, Abercarn, Newport NP11 5AR. Tel: 01495 244472. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.stately-albion.co.uk


This review was published in the December 2008 issue of Park & Holiday Homes magazine. To order our latest issue please click here.


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