Special Edition…
Derek Mathewson ~ National Treasure
^^^ Derek Matthewson: Centre of Left Photo with Sons.
Plus Two Gentleman & A Beautiful Car 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 things… the most important thing that we do, is for you. Before we get into the main article for this edition and the new feature, 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 at Davaar Island Lighthouse in 1987. 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 had to either close (because the volunteers were reaching burnout), or employ staff and do the job properly. We and many of you had come a long way from this island coastguard station…
^^ 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.
After 30 years of adventures with unique property, we just could not throw in the towel. 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 at Noss Head.
^^ 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 buildings via our main website (this page’s site) and the addition of Noss Head Lighthouse Station has helped us to create jobs near to the next lighthouse station renovation (our fourth) in Caithness and secure a new office to grow this (and one of our sister job-creating 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.
^^ Noss Head Lighthouse Station ^^
From Dilapidated 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 folk making their views known when a doctor joined the local 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!
To see what a lighthouse restoration looks like, we have a few photos from 2017 to 2018…
^^ 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 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…
Derek Mathewson ~ National Treasure
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 show called “Bangers and Mash.
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) lockdown
The medics asked for extra vigilance (less human contact) so no Covid accidentally gets brought into hospital.
Fair enough, but working from home remotely can be a challenge, even for those of us at this end of the keyboard who are used to isolated working.
A few days later 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. Find the answer and ask the owner if they would sell…
“Skyfall” Home of James Bond
Spaciously deceptive.
Must be viewed to be appreciated.
Complete with a happy ending. Not.
The answer to many 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” .
But it ain’t real. It is the work 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 characters, replete with that classic car is 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 this 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, Derek has kept half of our Unique Property team sane during lockdown.
Derek’s vintage car 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 the television parked next to a bank of “remote working” computer monitors at UPB-HQ.
=> Thank 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
^^ 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 go for.
Only The Number Plate Is Original ^^
This is known as a “hero” car.
Likely one of four or five per movie.
Don’t ask what happens to them.
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,
don’t 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 ^^^
The 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 ^^
^^ 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
Please be sure to stay in touch and a good way is to read…
Part 2 here next weekend …
9pm
Saturday 9th April 2022
Right here…
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In fact, the property is not even located in Scotland, it is on Hankley Common in Surrey, England. A 560-hectare nature reserve that is owned by the UK’s Ministry of Defence and located over 500 miles away from Glen Etive.
The Old Lookout Was Renovated ^^
w. It’s taken 5 long years and a hellish Covid price, but right now, in April 2022, we are starting to relaunch the website.
This is where Derek Mathewson can work his magic. The nostalgia of old cars have a charm that is timeless. When accompanied by a certain guitar riff, they become part of the DNA of many folk…
e have been growing our reserves, so that this website can provide YOU with a FREE service FOREVER.. We are NOT an estate agency, just an eccentric blog that has grown form the original 1987 paper version. In 2011 we transferred to an online magazine format and occaisionally got up to 180,000 folk reading posts…
^^^ We Struggled To Comprehend ^^^
^^^ The High Numbers! ^^^
186,000 readers is none too shabby. The only problem is we have NO staff. So we needed to sort out an annuity to guarantee new staff wages. That is so we can help YOU. Our job is to help
Unique people find unique homes.
Having raised over £500,000 with an income that will, in due course pay new staff wages, we are gently relaunching thisUnique Property Bulletin website.
Every Day: We will list a unique property for sale…
But there is more…
Every month: We will publish an article about unique property.
REPRODUCED BELOW
SKYFALL HOUSE AND ASTON MARTINS.
Over time we will increase the quantity and quality of content as the new staff are trained up.
As a brief but important side-note, if you have spent two years in lock-down and fancy a change, please feel free to give one of our team members a call. We would be delighted to share with you the things that go right with an internet site, and what you might like to avoid: those things that trip you up and cost you money or worse.
Our editor, Russ McLean became injured during an earlier career and was devastated at losing a job that he loved. Yet now, he readily admits, he now has one of the most enjoyable jobs in the world and it was an accident that caused this accidental success…
^^^ Unique Property Bulletin Northern HQ ^^^
If you read to the end of this page,
it may prove life changing for you.
We kid ye not.
What is the job that our editor enjoys so much? Writing about unusual properties and for a select few, we end up buying a lighthouse station or generator station or castle. Even a ship to live aboard (and that led to the formation of the TS Queen Mary charity: and adventure we will narrate later this year).
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Our relaunch currently has
Daily unique property for sale: click here
& regular unique property and lifestyle articles…
.
, .
Unique . (of three years ago had NOS staff. to the online equivalent or example…
One Last Thing
As this great lady said…
It also applies to the unique long-covid-generation THAT HAVE RECOVERED FROM THE PANDEMIC BUT NOT FULLY./
sOME OF WHOM COULD DO WITH A BIT OF GOOD NEWS.
For the new Long-Covid generation…
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will;
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Click On The Above Photo For Dame Judi’s Rendition of Tennyson
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Why does this video matter?
How are Dame Judi Dench’s words important?
What are we doing, with the eccentric article about classic cars.
The reason my friends is that I should have packed up adter my police career finished and especially the past “proper” job as harbourmaster. But the vicisitudes of life and a body that has been shot, stabbed, broken, with a surgicallyspine that reduces height a quarter ich after each surgery should have given uppd decades ago. But some folk, Scots and Yorkshire predoment in that cland, are so very, very stubborn.
Far better to keep on working. Whether paid or unpaid.
In terms of the latter, I am so very grateful that the doctor who kept me alive in an incubator in Robroyston Hospital in Glasgow for three months (couldn’t breath, nasal passage was solid bone with holes needing drilled at 2 days old).
I never, ever thought fitness could be improved for either police service or time at sea.
And never, ever imaginned that when my friend said I had the honour of handing this document in to the OSCR charity commissioner…
That 10 years later, the wonderful Robbie Coltrane would boost our fundraising by donating his time and enthusiasm
=> Put TS Queen Mary back to sea under her own steam as a FULLY FUNCTIONAL ship.
Yesterday our patron, the wonderful Robbie Coltrane gave a far better performance in front of the television camera than UPS spokesperson Russ McLean.
Then miraculously a thing that siply does not happen to ordinary folk.
From a start ten years ago when my friend Iain Sim and I were on the phone to each other for hours trying to find a way to rescue this old 10000 ton of scrap from the scrapyard….
Our dreams were surpassed when a very special lady helped boost the charity income by £250,000 by becoming our patron.
More than that, her Royal Highness made an announcement that we never thought possoble: the TS Queen Maryy is to be re-engined and put back into certification so she can sail under her own steam and carry passengers again…
a year with a parteyond and hope the help from HRH Princess Anne would ennable our skint Friends of TS Queen Mary to buy the ship, let alone restore her for statinc use.
Then the icing on the cake, to have the Queen’s daughter anounce the re-engining of the old girl.
As Derek Mathewson is often heard saying in the morael-boosting Bangers & Cash series, he’d rather work than go to Spain on holiday.
Me too.
This is deeply personal and the only reason that the last part is mentioned is that we have received NINE phone calls from readers suffering from LONG-COVID and despairing whether they have a future as they are no longer fit to do a job they love.
It’s a strange old world. I had the best job in the world..
HAMISH MACBETH
A dmahgged spine stuffed that.
Then the best job in the world came along again…
HARBOUR MASTER
But pulling ship heaving lines that are deadweight with water knachers an already damaged spine. Much depression after having to give that up.
What happened next?
Bu66er despair or “low mood” as is fashionable to term depression.
There is hope. It can be hard to get out of that deep pit. This Covid pandemic has been harder on almost all members of the human race since World War 2. But there is always hope.
If you have Long Covid, pand need a friend, please just pick up the phone and get in touch (here).
We cannot guarantee a happy life, but with a thrawn Scot on your side, whether you are in Cornwall, Kent, Belfast or Cumberbauld, there are always options.
it is far more fun to be?
Because
National Treasure
In
In 2017, after 30 years of publishing Unique Property Bulletin, first in paper format…
^^^ Paper Version From The 1990s^^^
Unique Property Bulletin
… then transferring this eccentric property magazine online
ed to an online version, the readerhip numbers grew from 400 to 600 to 800 in the 1980s. These were printed on a duplicator and posted out manually.
e promised at least one more nuclear bunker FOR SALE this week. Here it is…
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