It sounds like a type of Escallonia but they are not thorny.

If they were berries instead of flowers, I might suspect Pyracantha...except it would be weird for crimson berries to be showing this time of year! Maybe a mixture of Escallonia and something else?

Could it be a form of Crataegus, hawthorn?

Could you take a couple of photos as you pass by Pastelcloud? One of the whole bush plus a close-up of the flowers and one of the leaves would be good.

there are many sorts of berberis with lovely coloured and bicoloured leaves as well as flowers

I am sorry I cannot id the plant you have seen but from experience, I grow thorny hedges, I have found that pyracantha is the easiest to keep "hedge shaped" without spoiling the flowers and berry display. Pyracantha is evergreen. It has masses of creamy white scented flowers in spring followed by red, yellow or orange berries. The birds tend to leave the fruit alone until there is nothing else so you do have a display for many months.
I also grow a long mixed berberis hedge and it needs more room to look its best. Berberis can be deciduous or evergreen B.Stenophylla or B Darwinnii are both evergreen and good for hedging but like the deciduous versions do look better if they have space to display their long arching branches to best effect.
It is a good idea to find out what grows well in your area and plant some of that as it should also grow for you. If you see the owner they might let you take cuttings and tell you of the good and bad points associated with a particular choice.
Pernettya is evergreen and prickly but it will only grow to about 3'. It has white flowers but red, white, pink or purple berries.