Val Chapman reviews the newest Willerby holiday home, with a stunning window arrangement and a subtle seaside theme.

Introducing the latest holiday home model from Willerby with freestanding furniture and three entrances and a campaign to save bees!

Three aspects of the Canterbury impressed us at first glance. The lounge has two entrance-windows (that’s in addition to the main entrance, of course). There’s a clear division between the lounge and the dining kitchen. And the lounge furniture is freestanding.

These three factors combine to give the Canterbury’s spacious lounge both an airy aspect and a cosy, self-contained appeal.

The two large entrance-windows enable you to take full advantage of views. And the fact that the furniture is freestanding means that you can move the seating around to take the best advantage of the views from your plot.

Lounge

Apart from the lovely big windows on two sides, a quality look is the overarching impact of the lounge. Curtains look and feel high quality fabric. The carpet’s high density of fibres and springy feel contributes to the quality impression. And the simple, modern style of the seating looks just nice!

There’s a clear division between the lounge and the dining kitchen, creating a secluded feel in the lounge. Plenty of options for seating are provided by the freestanding corner sofa and armchair. And if you have guests staying overnight you can pull out the bed integrated into the sofa.

A television bracket on the dresser-storage unit enables you to turn your TV towards the dining table as an alternative to watching it while sitting in the lounge. And a coal-effect heater integrated into the dresser makes sure the lounge has a warm focal point.

It’s a lovely lounge environment. The Canterbury’s interior design was influenced by sea breezes and walks in the sand, with accents of light blue and sandy beige throughout the holiday home.

Just in case this soft, appealing colour scheme isn’t for you, though, there are two more to choose from – called Peacock and Zest; the choice is yours. And they’re all lovely.

Kitchen Diner

We love the grey wood-effect matt kitchen surface and feature part wall covering. We love the pale shade of the woodwork. And we love the position of the dining table, to one side of the kitchen; it feels separate, almost like a dining alcove.

And while you’re enjoying meals here, you can look out of your side or front patio doors and gaze out at your view. That’s as near as you can get to alfresco dining while still warm and cosy.

Worktop space is in ample supply, making this kitchen ideal for keen cooks. There’s plenty of cupboard space, too. It’s complete with a large integrated fridge/freezer and over-hob extractor fan.

All the practical things you’d expect in a high quality holiday home are here including a large, double-cavity oven (the grill is in a separate cavity above the oven) and a built-in microwave. And we love the glass splash-back for both its practicality and style!

The four dining chairs are upholstered in leather-effect. In the three-bedroomed Canterbury, two additional dining stools are supplied.

Main bedroom

Curtains in a beautiful grey, yellow and fawn vertical-pattern on a cream background caught my eyes first. The quality is impressive again, just like those in the lounge. Then the feature panel over the dressing table got my attention; the geometric pattern using subtle grey shades is so gorgeously modern.

The L-shaped fitted wardrobe integrates with the bed surround to create a huge storage area.

This bedroom has a hidden practical feature; the bed base lifts up to reveal a large storage area. The larger two Canterbury models, the 38-feet long and 40-feet long options, both have king size beds.

Twin bedroom

Our review Canterbury is one of the two-bedroomed versions. It’s a twin room, with good storage and USB charging point along with two mains sockets.

Shower room

The shower room is opposite the twin room. It’s spacious and rectangular. We love the feature tiled wall in the shower. And there’s even something interesting about the design of the toilet: the flush water tank is neatly integrated into the wall (the Ariston central heating unit is housed in the cabinet above).

The Canterbury is available in three sizes, all 12.5 feet wide. Lengths range from 35 to 40-feet. There is one three-bedroom layout. The two models with two bedrooms have hallways with full height coats-and-shoes cupboards.

Our View

The Canterbury is ultra stylish and ultra modern. We love its subtle seaside styling, its finesses and obvious quality. And the three entrances are brilliant for designing your decking to suit your outdoor seating and barbecue requirements.

Bee a gardener!

To celebrate 70 years since the company’s foundation, Willerby has launched a campaign dedicated to bumble bee conservation.

Owners of Willerby holiday homes are being offered packets of seeds for types of flowers that attract bees.

Why bees? The link between bees and Willerby goes back more than 70 years. Walter Allen, founder of Willerby, used to build bee hives for a living in the post-war years – before he saw a gap in the embryonic holiday market, and started building touring caravans.

Kirsten Bolton, Marketing Director of Willerby, explains: “This year, as a thank-you to Walter Allen, we have started an initiative to help save the Bumble Bee. Everyone who comes to take a look at our holiday homes on our show stands will be offered a packet of seeds. And all Willerby owners will get them, too. They’re poppies and cornflowers, which are attractive to bees.”

Contact Willerby

Address Imperial House, Hedon Road, Hull
Telephone 01482 707808
Website www.willerby.com