Special Feature Edition: Part 1 of 2…
Derek Mathewson ~ National Treasure
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^^^ Derek Mathewson: Centre of Photo ^^
Sons Paul on The Left & David on The Right
This edition started by one of our readers asking
…to buy the James Bond 007 Skyfall House.
Why is Derek Mathewson a National Treasure? We will come to that in the main part of this edition. For new readers a very brief explanation of what we do for you for free (we are NOT an estate agency). We provide details of unusual buildings to get you into mischief. Our friend Derek Mathewson does the same with cars. In essence, making dreams come true. For our part we find...
Unique Property For Unique People
Right, straight into the interesting stuff.. the most important thing that we do, is for you. Before we get to the main feature article for this edition, here is the daily unique listing…
Freshly Listed Unique Properties
EVERY DAY
Click Here
For Daily Unique Properties
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A Fiver To Start!
This not-for-profit publication started life on Davaar Island Lighthouse in 1987…
^^ Davaar Island ^^
Showing the causeway at low tide.
^^ Davaar Island & Some Singy Bloke ^^
If you are of a certain vintage you may remember this band.
We went from paper format to fully online in 2012. By 2017 the readership numbers were hitting 150,000 (here). Being run with just volunteers, we either had to close down completely (because the volunteers were reaching burnout), or employ staff and do the job properly. We and many of you have come a long way on a 30 year journey from this island coastguard station…
£5 Per Year To Rent This Shell.
The deal was we would renovate it into the bargain.
It all worked out so well we were
offered the lighthouses next door!
^^ Birthplace of Unique Property Bulletin ^^
The Old Lookout, Davaar Island, 1987.
Cost £5 A Year To Lease.
After 7 years, we moved to the main lighthouse station next door.
^^ Birthplace of Unique Property Bulletin ^^
The Old Lookout, Davaar Island, 1987.
Cost £5 A Year To Lease.
^^ Inside of The Old Lookout ^^
^^ Davaar Island, 1987 ^^
Cost £5 A Year To Lease.
After 30 years of adventures with unique property, we could not just throw in the towel and close down. So our special crew of 111 wider group of volunteers from the 150,000 managed to muster 24 friends who joined together and bought another lighthouse station which was about as far away as you could at be from this one!
^^ The Old Lookout At Davaar Island Was Renovated ^^
Unique Property Bulletin Had Begun.
Both Physically & In Magazine Format.
Next stop: Noss Head Lighthouse Station.
The purchase of several dozen other types of building over those three decades via our main website (this page’s site) and the addition of Noss Head Lighthouse Station on 23rd May 2017 (here) helped us to create jobs near. Those are ij the local towns or Wick and Thurso, fairly close to the Noss Lighthouse station renovation (our fourth) in Caithness, It also helped secure a new regional office to grow this (and one of our special job-creating sister website: here). In 30 years 161 new jobs have been established from this eccentric publication (an accidental success: click here). From 2017 to March 2022 we grew things to the point where Unique Property Bulletin can now employ staff. Thanks in a great part to our amazing readers and friends. Thank you.
^^ Noss Head Lighthouse Station ^^
From Dilapidated & Leaky, To
Ship Shape & Bristol Fashion.
It took a year and a fair amount of cash, but the old lighthouse station at Noss Head is looking its old self again. One of the renovated former lighthouse keeper houses has now become the home of a much needed new GP in the area. This may seem an odd thing to mention, but securing doctors in the far north can be difficult and we were delighted at local folk coming all the way up to the lighthouse buildings and making their views known when a doctor joined the nearby surgery. A second doctor at our Noss Head Lighthouses now works at the A&E department for the long-term. It’s not just old Grade A listed buildings we are lucky enough to help renovate! Quite a few human beings are getting their body and mind MoT’s sorted too!
To see what a lighthouse restoration looks like, we have a few photos from 2017 to 2018…
^^ Noss Head Lighthouse Station ^^
Social Media Posts
^^ Noss Head Lighthouse Station ^^
BEFORE and AFTER Renovation Photos
^^ Noss Head Lighthouse Station ^^
BEFORE and AFTER Renovation Photos
Plus providing our northern office and a cure for the Unique Property Bulletin founder’s pesky seasonal adjustment disorder (SAD). Otherwise known medically as “dark night misery grumpus syndrome”. Caithness has 2 hours extra sunlight than London in the summers!
^^ Unique Property Bulletin ^^
Far North Regional HQ.
A happy accidental cure for the editor’s SAD quandary.
The further north you go, the longer the sunshine day and the less seasonal adjustment disorder plaques a person. You can see Orkney from the bedroom window so Noss Head Lighthouse Station is quite far north.
Most or all, a well loved local amenity was brought back to useful life.
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We now move to our
MAIN FEATURE ARTICLE
for this edition…
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Derek Mathewson ~ National Treasure
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This happened quite by accident. At Unique Property Bulletin we are lucky enough to get a regular flow of telephone calls. One was from a commissioning editor of a television company looking for unusual property candidates (and characters) for her new tv series.
Derek Mathewson ~ National Treasure
Every Day This Gentleman Helps To
Keep Lockdown Remote Workers Sane.
The television commissioning editor lady happened to mention they produced a programme called “Bangers and Cash”.
Embarrassingly we had not heard of this. It’s a hidden gem that is a staple of the “Yesterday” satellite channel.
We’re not sure about you, but our Covid lockdown has been quite difficult due to medical (pre-surgery) mega-lockdown (not able to see the grandkids etc).
The medics asked for extra vigilance (less human contact) so NO Covid accidentally gets brought into hospital.
Fair enough, but working from home remotely, for extended periods can be a challenge, even for those of us at this end of the keyboard who are used to isolated working at lighthouse stations!
At this point, “Bangers & Cash” was located on the television satellite box thingy, and it has been on whilst we “remote work” from home, pretty much ever since.
Thank you Derek. A gentleman who saved our sanity.
Then some odd things start to fall into place (we’ll save the best bit for the second half of this article next Saturday 9th April 2022).
A few weeks ago we were asked a totally random question by one of our readers…
Do you know where the 007 Skyfall house is and is it for sale?
Simple enough question. So we set to it…. To find the answer and ask the owner if they would sell…
“” The “Skyfall” Home of James Bond ^^
Spaciously deceptive.
Must be viewed to be appreciated.
Complete with a happy ending. Not.
The answer often is a location-agent scouted one of many gothic baronial castleated piles that are all across Scotland and provided three candidates from which the movie producers could choose.
Upon further enquiries, the facts are a tad more curious.
The childhood home of James Bond in arguably featured within one of the top 3 all time Bond greats. We reckon that to be “Skyfall” film of the 007 Bond franchise. Ever just so slightly by Sir Sean Connery. Sorry Commander Craig, yer erse is oot the windae.
Mainly because of what Sir Sean did with his fee from Diamonds Are Forever (here).
No bad for a tightwallet milkie fae Auld Reekie Toon.
As for the actual building where 007 was supposed to have been born? It ain’t real. It is the effort of some incredibly talented carpenters and set designers…
^^ Skyfall: Home of James Bond ^^
Entirely Fictional
This is the superb carpentry work by scenery makers.
The actual building you may have thought as an original set location and home of the world’s most famous spy character, replete with that classic car. But it is, in fact, a work of dramatic art. So…
=> What about our nominated candidate for a “National Treasure”: Mr Derek Mathewson?
=> Well Derek can locate almost every Aston Martin of the 007 class in the country.
=> Derek has an encyclopaedic knowledge of these wonderful iconic machines.
=> He is one of the nicest, kindest gentlemen we have ever come across.
=> Crucially, and we will say this a lot because it is important… Derek has kept half of our Unique Property team sane during lockdown.
Derek’s vintage car television programme has been on for many weeks now during the pandemic and is a joy to have the company of. Even if it is only parked next to a bank of “remote working” computer monitors at UPB-HQ.
=> Thank again you Derek.
Meanwhile, in our own research, we kina focussed on that Aston Martin and had a fascinating hour learning how it had disappeared and then turned up at auction, where it went for sale for (wait for it)…
£5,200,000
UPS Writer’s Head Explodes!
^^ 007 Aston Martin: £5,200,000^^
At that price, we agree with Judi!
Proof source: Click Here
In fact the £5,200,000 was for the original Thunderball 007 movie.
Also, the franchise goes through an alarming number of these Aston Martins, even though some of them are not quite what you might expect…
Steve Begg – Special Effects designer – with 3rd scale miniature Aston Martin DB5 and TOP the same model exploded for Skyfall (2012) – as the film sees an explosion destroy James Bond’s prized Aston Martin DB5.
At this point, our curiosity was aroused and we wanted to find out how much an “ordinary” Aston Martin DB5 would actually go for?
Only The Number Plate Is Original ^^
This is known in the movie
filming business as a “hero” car.
Likely one of four or five per film.
Don’t ask what happens to them after?
Well they retire to the…
Happy Farm For Retired DB5s
Aye right. When you see what the Broccolis did to the Skyfall house, it’s a tall Jackanory bedtime story to think any of these classics made it to a natural end!
What these poor old vintage cars go through, just so we can all enjoy our popcorn and Daniel plus Moneypenny!
^^ Skyfall House ^^
This Hot Property Is NOT For Sale
Sorry to our reader. But you did ask the question.
Don’t shoot us, we are just the messenger!
Though our reader must’ve seen the ending of this film.
A little light restoration work would not have cut the mustard.
Meanwhile our quest to see what happens to the Aston DB5s that do survive this sort of thing continued…
^^ Hardly A Rightmove Hot Property ^^
As for the DB5?
No, no, no, wee car…
Do NOT go driving into that Skyfall place…
Too late, another DB5 off to gloriously bite the dust…
This really does look like the Highlands of Scotland.
You may be surprised when you find out where it really is.
^^^ This Video Shows A Plucky End ^^^
A world famous number plate: BMT 216 A
Put up a great fight..
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.As For Skyfall House?.
The truth is, this was what you saw in Skyfall: industrial light and magic. All smoke and mirrors (and quite a few flash-bangs)…
^^ Skyfall Being Built in 2011/2012 ^^
^^ Site Carpenters & Set Designers ^^
All Have An Amazing Talent.
^^ More MOCK Tudor Than Scottish Baronial ^^
This building was not located in Scotland, it was on Hankley Common in Surrey, England. A 562-hectare nature reserve that is owned by the MoD (UK Ministry of Defence). Approximately 500 miles south of Glen Etive.
^^ Even The Small Kirk Was Mostly Chipboard ^^
^^ The Interior Was Miles Away At Pinewood Back Lot ^^
^^ Awesome Set Dressing ^^
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There is second half to this article.
The story of the screen magic will be dramatically outshone by hope and happiness of real world events.
It may well help you magically secure the nostalgia of your young days by buying your mum or dads car back.
Plus there is more to beat the above first half of this article in next week’s conclusion.
If perchance you are one of the LONG-COVID sufferers… we may not have a cure, but given it is an incontrovertible fact the editor of Unique Property Bulletin has been shot, stabbed and in more fights than Daniel Craig and he can still rustle up some unbeatable fun in life with a broken back, then we bet there is a bit more mileage in yourself if you have this wretched Covid spin-off disease.
Russ McLean: Editor of Unique Property Bulletin
In an earlier career path at Tulliallan Police College
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Derek Mathewson National Treasure: Part 2
Click Here
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The Actual Mathewsons Auction
Meanwhile, if you would like to see if there are some Aston Martins, or indeed a favourite vintage vehicles of your own flavour and choice at Mathewson’s Classic Car Auctions…
Click Here
To Study Classic Cars At Auction
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Part 2: Derek Mathewson
National Treasure Main Article
Click Here
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