Rolling Homes of Shrewsbury: VW-qualified campers from the Columbus to the Crafter Darwin

Rolling Homes builds campervans in Shrewsbury, mostly on the Volkswagen Transporter, and it is on Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles' Motorhome Conversion Qualification Scheme; Out and About Live describes it as one of six VW Motorhome Qualified Converters. That matters more than it sounds. It means the van you buy is type approved, registered as a motor caravan from day one, and checked by the National Caravan Council for habitation safety. The Columbus trim table starts at £63,995 for a short-wheelbase Transporter (as listed on 13 October 2026), an Expedition stock listing comes in lower, and the range climbs to a long-wheelbase VW Crafter with a proper washroom, the Darwin. This profile sets out who they are, what they build, what it costs and who it suits.

Who Rolling Homes are and where to find them

The workshop is on Ennerdale Road, Shrewsbury, SY1 3LD, and the company's contact page claims 40 years' experience of manufacturing. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles' own website lists Rolling Homes as a Shrewsbury conversion specialist building bespoke campervans on the Transporter. The range is named after explorers (the website heads its line-up "Meet the explorers"), and the Darwin takes its name from a famous son of the town. Every conversion is described by Rolling Homes as bespoke, and the company says it will also convert a van you already own, new or pre-loved. Rolling Homes says it has worked hard on features it feels will make its campers suitable for everyone, including wheelchair access; if that is relevant to you, ask what that means for the exact layout you want.

If you are heading to the Motorhome and Caravan Show at the NEC between 13 and 18 October 2026, ask Rolling Homes which models are on the stand rather than assuming the one you want is there.

What they build on, and why it matters

The published range sits mainly on three bases. Most models sit on the Volkswagen Transporter: the current T7 for the Columbus, Livingstone and Shackleton, with some Expedition stock still described as T6.1-based. The Livingstone is also offered on the Ford Transit Custom (our T7 versus Transit Custom explainer covers that pairing). The Darwin moves up to the long-wheelbase VW Crafter.

Why stick so closely to Volkswagen? Because of the scheme. To join Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles' Motorhome Qualification Scheme, Rolling Homes explains, a converter's vehicles must meet legal type approval so they can be first registered as a campervan or motorhome rather than a panel van, and the converter must hold approval from the National Caravan Council, which governs habitation standards and safety. Volkswagen also insists, according to Rolling Homes, that the converter matches the term of the base vehicle warranty. For a buyer, the practical upshot is a V5C that says motor caravan and a conversion warranty that is not shorter than the van's.

Inside, the house style is real wood. Rolling Homes talks about handmade real wood furniture and oak units on the Columbus, with the Darwin offered in lightweight board in a choice of colours with real wood cabinets as an option. Rolling Homes lists sheep's wool insulation on the Columbus and the conversion-only package, and SCA elevating roofs on those two and the rear-kitchen Livingstone (our pop-top roof explainer describes what that type of roof does well).

The range, model by model

Every price below is a from-price or an in-stock figure as published on 13 October 2026 on Rolling Homes' own pages and the retailer listings named below. Stock prices vary between pages, so ask for an itemised list; the official Columbus trim table is the one to anchor on.

Columbus: the side-kitchen Transporter, from £63,995

The Columbus is the familiar layout done carefully: a side kitchen, a RIB crash-tested rear seat that folds into a double bed, and a bed in the SCA elevating roof. Rolling Homes lists it as a four-berth with four seats as standard, with the option of up to six travelling seats in a long wheelbase, and it is also available with a fixed high top. Key features on the maker's page include sheep's wool insulation, a 50 litre fridge freezer, a twin burner hob with sink, water tank and pump, a sealed gas locker, a 100Ah lithium leisure battery, blackout curtains and cab blinds, a sprung roof bed and diesel heating. The RIB bed with Isofix measures 188 by 120 cm and the roof bed 220 by 132 cm, so a six-foot (183 cm) adult fits the lower bed with a little to spare and has more room upstairs. One thing to pin down: diesel heating sits in the key features list, but "diesel blown air heating" also appears in the upgrades list with an asterisk, so ask whether it is included in the trim you are quoted.

The pricing is a clear ladder of three trims, each on a choice of engines:

• Commerce: 110 manual at £63,995. The base includes a Euro 6 engine that Rolling Homes lists as ULEZ compliant, a 13 inch touchscreen with App Connect, cruise control, rear parking sensors, heated mirrors, lane assist and keyless start.
• Commerce Plus: adds body coloured bumpers and mirrors, front and rear sensors, a reversing camera and a leatherette wheel. 110 manual £68,695, 150 manual £70,905, 150 automatic £72,805, T32 150 automatic 4x4 £76,861.
• Commerce Pro: adds adaptive cruise, heated seats, 16 inch alloys, power folding mirrors, a heated windscreen and wireless charging. 110 manual £71,335, 150 manual £73,545, 150 automatic £75,445, T32 150 automatic 4x4 £79,501, 170 automatic £77,107, and a 232 PHEV automatic at £78,105.

So the step from Commerce to Commerce Plus on the same 110 manual is £4,700, and from Plus to Pro another £2,640; the full stretch from the entry van to the Pro 4x4 automatic is £15,506. Upgrades include a long wheelbase with extra furniture, a slim 100 watt solar panel, leather seating, an inverter, a boot-through access door, and a gasless package with 290 watt solar, a 300 amp lithium battery, a 3 kW inverter and a two-ring induction hob. Autoevolution reports the Columbus is now offered on the T7 with real oak furniture and Corian counters. For the Columbus S, Roamworthy's recorded catalogue data lists a T6.1 base, a 4.90 m length, 1.90 m width, 3,000 kg MTPLM and 550 kg payload; treat those as a guide rather than T7 figures, and ask for the current plated weight. Our sibling piece, "Rolling Homes Columbus T7 review: from £63,995 to the 4x4 automatic at £79,501", goes through it in detail.

Expedition: the all-terrain one

The Expedition is the rugged member of the family. Rolling Homes describes a robust interior that can be customised, with optional soft furnishings to finish it. A 2026 short-wheelbase two-berth with an elevating roof was listed by Find My Leisure Vehicle at £58,495 and described as T6.1-based, which makes it the lowest van price quoted here; ask whether a listing like this is new or pre-registered. New Atlas has covered an Expedition with a 100 mm suspension lift. Whether new orders now go on the T7 or whether the model is being sold from remaining T6.1 stock is the first thing to ask, because it changes the van you get and the warranty clock it sits on.

Livingstone: the rear-kitchen award winner

The Livingstone turns the layout round. Rolling Homes describes it as its luxury rear kitchen camper on the new VW Transporter or the Ford Transit Custom, with a rear elevating SCA roof, two single beds that slide together into a double, sleeping for up to four and a fixed rear toilet. The maker's page shows it as an NEC Caravan, Camping and Motorhome 2025 award winner. Prices spread widely with specification: a stock T7 long-wheelbase 150 automatic Livingstone was listed at £67,185, while a Livingstone entered in the Caravan and Motorhome Club's 2026 Design Awards was listed at £110,607, a difference of £43,422 and a very different build. If a Livingstone catches your eye, ask for the option list behind the price you are shown.

Shackleton: the contemporary one

Rolling Homes calls the Shackleton a contemporary design with a unique layout and a bespoke interior, with choices over final appearance and style. Short-wheelbase T7 stock examples sat between about £70,185 and £81,651 on Rolling Homes' stock pages on 13 October 2026. Layout detail is best taken from the model page or the showroom, so ask for the floor plan and the berth and belted-seat count in writing.

Darwin: the long-wheelbase Crafter with a side washroom

The Darwin is where Rolling Homes steps up from the Transporter to the long-wheelbase VW Crafter, and it has a side washroom. Rolling Homes lists it as the Darwin FL 6.0 and describes plenty of storage in drawers, cupboards and overhead lockers, built in lightweight board in a choice of colours with real wood cabinets as an option. The Darwin ML page lists a dual induction and twin burner hob, Corian worktops, a full size gas oven and grill, a 90 litre fridge freezer and Truma diesel heating and hot water. Pricing has moved: the Darwin FL was listed at £67,800 and £82,322 in different snapshots of the maker's page, and a demonstrator at £99,950. Roamworthy notes that the Darwin EL is built on a Volkswagen Crafter or MAN TGE chassis and says the exact base needs confirming, so when you order, ask for the base vehicle, length, berths, MTPLM and payload in writing. On the licence point: a category B car licence covers a motor caravan up to 3,500 kg MAM, and if the Darwin you want is plated above that you will need C1, which is gained by applying for provisional entitlement (forms D2 and D4, with a D4 medical) and then passing a theory test and a practical test. Our sibling review, "Rolling Homes Darwin review: a long-wheelbase VW Crafter with a side washroom", covers it properly, and if a British Crafter camper is your shortlist, Atom Motorhomes builds on the same van.

Conversion only: your van, their furniture

If you already own a Transporter, Rolling Homes lists a conversion-only package at £20,495. It includes a side kitchen layout with two to four berths and four to six seats on three-point belts, sheep's wool insulation, a 50 litre fridge freezer, a twin burner hob with sink, a sealed gas locker with a gas safety certificate, a 100 amp AGM leisure battery, blackout curtains and cab blinds, and a RIB crash-tested bed with two three-point belts, with a two-year conversion warranty. Note the battery difference: AGM here, lithium on the new-van Columbus. Options include the SCA Deluxe elevating roof with bed, roof colour coding, rear glass with a sliding window, swivel seats, 100 watt solar, diesel blown air heating, an awning, a bike rack and a panoramic roof canvas. Our types of conversion guide is a useful general explainer; ask how your own van would be registered after the work.

Credentials, stated exactly

• Volkswagen Motorhome Conversion Qualification Scheme: listed on Rolling Homes' own Columbus page; Out and About Live's 2026 review calls the company one of six VW Motorhome Qualified Converters.
• Type approval: Rolling Homes states its new campervans are fully type approved and crash tested with the Vehicle Certification Agency, so they can be registered as motor caravans. Out and About Live's review also records the Columbus as type approved.
• NCC approval: the maker's page lists NCC-approved habitation safety, and Out and About Live's review confirms NCC approval.
• ISO 9001: cited on the maker's site as its quality standard.
• Warranty and servicing: the Columbus page lists a five-year conversion warranty, a five-year manufacturer warranty and five-year servicing with VW. Out and About Live's 2026 review reported a three-year warranty with a five-year VW service package. The conversion-only package carries a two-year conversion warranty. Because the published terms differ, get the exact term for your van, and what the servicing package includes, in writing before you pay.
• Awards: the Livingstone is shown on Rolling Homes' site as an NEC Caravan, Camping and Motorhome 2025 award winner, and a Livingstone was entered in the Caravan and Motorhome Club's 2026 Design Awards.

Lead times, deposits and the moving prices

Rolling Homes publishes trim prices for the Columbus and stock prices across the range; ask for the lead time and deposit on the phone, and ask what happens to the price if the base vehicle changes model year during the build. On price, remember that the same Columbus 150 automatic appeared at £72,370, £73,129 and £87,032 on different Rolling Homes pages on 13 October 2026, against £72,805 (Commerce Plus) and £75,445 (Commerce Pro) in the official trim table. Stock prices vary between pages, so treat the trim table as your baseline and ask for an itemised list for anything above it.

Who should buy from Rolling Homes

A good fit if

• You want a Transporter-based camper that is registered as a motor caravan from new, with VW's scheme behind it and a conversion warranty matched to the van's.
• You like real wood inside. On the Columbus, oak units and handmade furniture are standard, not an extra.
• You want a 4x4 Transporter camper with a published price: the Columbus T32 150 automatic 4x4 is in the trim table at £76,861 or £79,501.
• You already own a Transporter and want a qualified converter to fit it out from £20,495.
• You want a VW Crafter camper with a side washroom from a British builder, and you are happy to confirm weights before ordering.

Look elsewhere if

• You need a coachbuilt or A-class motorhome with a fixed bed and a large washroom. Rolling Homes builds panel van conversions.
• You want a base other than the Transporter, Transit Custom or Crafter. The published range is mainly those three, so ask about other bases before you rule Rolling Homes out.
• Your budget is well under the £58,495 Expedition listing; a conversion-only package from £20,495 on a van you own is the cheaper route.
• You want a fixed spec at a fixed price with no choices. Rolling Homes describes everything it builds as bespoke, which is a strength for some and a long options list for others.

Three questions to ask on the phone

1. Which exact base vehicle and model year will my van be, and what are its MTPLM, mass in running order and payload? This settles T6.1 against T7 on the Expedition, Crafter against anything else on the Darwin, and whether a category B licence covers it.
2. What is the warranty term on the conversion and on the base vehicle for this van, and what does the five-year VW servicing include? The published figures differ between the maker's page and a 2026 review, so ask for it on the order form.
3. What is the lead time, what deposit is required, and which items on this stock van are options? Ask for the itemised list that takes the price from the trim table to the figure on the windscreen, and ask whether diesel heating is included in your trim.

The bottom line

Rolling Homes is a Shrewsbury builder with a serious set of approvals. It holds Volkswagen's qualified converter scheme status, VCA type approval and NCC habitation approval, and its new vans are registered as motor caravans. The Columbus trim table is the most transparent pricing in the range, from £63,995 to £79,501 on 13 October 2026, and the Darwin is the one to watch if you want a Crafter with a washroom from a British workshop. Pin down the base vehicle, the weights and the warranty term in writing, and you will know exactly what you are buying.