Pemberton's first residential park home, unveiled for 2018, is a special mix of practical design and endearing cosiness.

Words by Val Chapman

Pemberton has built its reputation on building quality holiday homes; its history goes back into the mists of holiday home time. Now, the North West manufacturer has launched into the residential park home market with a splendid home called the Lyndale.

That quality element which goes hand-in-hand with the Pemberton name in terms of holiday homes now emerges in a new arena – of ultra-homely, spacious comfort; the Lyndale is a park home that looks much like a bricks-and-mortar home.

It has box bay windows and pale cream stucco features on the exterior, alongside CanExel panelling. It's a sizeable home, at 40ft x 20ft.

And when you step inside you do feel that this is a park home that blurs the lines between conventional bungalow and park home; one to consider, then, if you'd rather like a bungalow but can't find one to your taste, given that bungalows are something of a rarity on the housing market – especially new ones.

I'm at the Pemberton factory, just after the first Lyndale has emerged from the production line. It's sitting in Pemberton's display area, heating and lights switched on for the first time, ready to welcome me.

I enter through the 'back door' straight into a glorious kitchen. I could have entered through the main door, though, at the other side of the home… That's where I'll start the guided tour.

Hallway

Just like a 'conventional' bungalow, there's a sensible-sized hallway. And this one has an array of cabinets and shelves, for coats, hats, gloves, shoes… All manner of stuff can hide away in these satin-white cabinets. On the other side of the hallway, lower unit provides two cupboards and more shelves.

Straight on, now, across the central corridor, to the hub of the Lyndale, its large, square kitchen-dining room and totally separate lounge.

Kitchen-dining room

This is an impressive design creation of white satin and gloss, of wooden parquet flooring, of glass and chrome. Those elements fuse together to create a stunning kitchen-dining room that, at once, feels homely and ultra modern.

So, the details… The big window is dressed in heavy brocade curtains in a traditional pattern subtle in tone – shades of cream fawn and yellow inject a soft touch of tradition alongside the lovely stark modernity; it's a design theme that runs throughout the Lyndale.

In the centre of this generously-proportioned room sits the glass-top dining table with trestle-style pale wooden frame. Dark fawn, matt leather-look fabric upholsters four high-backed, comfortable chairs.

The table sits alongside an island kitchen unit containing six drawers. Its top makes the perfect area for serving to the table. That's just one element of practical design about the Lyndale's kitchen.

There's real organisational flow here, from the five-burner hob, grill and oven on one side of the kitchen's L-shape to the sink on the other and on to the microwave (at waist height, so convenient for all statures) and then to the giant Hotpoint double-doored fridge-freezer.

All along, cabinets and drawers abound. And here's a full-height cabinet, containing shelves. It houses the central heating unit but there's space in here, too, for essentials like an ironing board. Practicality doesn't stop in the kitchen; the Lyndale has a utility room.

Utility room

Back across the corridor, and to the right of the door, is a hideaway for the washer-dryer, a sink and cabinets.

Lounge

Now for the cosy zone. I'm perched with my laptop on the central ottoman seat which is also a storage box, facing the glowing log-burner-style fire that's augmenting the central heating with a waft of warm air.

There are three windows, ensuring plenty of daylight flooding in. The pastel brocade that I'd admired in the kitchen is here, too, curtaining one window and folding neatly, Roman-blind style on the other two.

The plain fawn and cream palette is restful. The furniture is comfortable – a settee, two chairs plus the Ottoman as a focal point. A sideboard, with a mirror above it, and a JVC television on the wall above the fireplace, plus a sumptuous, fluffy cream rug complete this gorgeously homely lounge.

One really special thing about the Lyndale's daytime area is the way the lounge and kitchen can be separated from one another, by two bi-folding doors – you can have two totally separate rooms, you can have one door open and the other closed, or you can have them open.

This is the best of all worlds – almost open-plan when you want it to be, and totally separate when you don't.

Bedrooms and shower rooms

The laptop and I are now installed at the desk-style dressing table in the main bedroom. Sockets are here for me to charge the laptop, top up my phone or, were I resident here, use my hair dryer.

As in the kitchen, I'm discovering that practicality abounds here – leading off from the bedroom is a walk-through dressing area; wardrobes, shelves, cabinets and mirrors on both sides of the corridor create big quantities of storage space in which getting organised and keeping that way would be easy.

Open a door and you're in showering luxury. A huge shower with walls that really do look like polished stone, a big circular basin (oh so stylish – just look at the picture!) sits up on a cabinet, a towel tail built into the cabinet, another above the radiator. It's all here, in delightful style.

At the other end of the corridor I explore the guest area. Again, the laptop and I make ourselves at home to compose these words at a desk-style dressing table; it's smaller this time, but still so convenient. And a socket is here for charging.

Twin beds have a tactile-upholstered headboard matching the one in the master bedroom. And, also like the main bedroom, a large window lets in plenty of light.

Your guests staying here have their own bathroom, next to this bedroom. It has a bath with over-bath shower and part-screen with built-in towel rail. More polished stone effect, another large circular basin – the Lyndale stamp of style is everywhere.

We love the bold blues used in the bedrooms, on the chairs which are every bit as comfortable as those in the dining area, the cushions, bed sashes and the ties and tops on the ring-hung satiny curtains.

I return to sit on the Ottoman facing the glowing log 'fire'. I decide it's easy to call the Lyndale home and that Pemberton's first residential home is a special mix of practical design (especially in the kitchen, designed for excellent work flow) and endearing cosiness.

Contact

Address Pemberton Park and Leisure Homes, Wigan, Lancashire

Website pembertonlh.co.uk

Telephone 01942 321 221