- 2 days ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:0217 miles off Scotland's west coast lies the island of Mull and off the coast of Mull lies
00:08the much smaller island of Ulver. Seven miles long and two miles wide there are no roads instead a
00:16maze of footpaths accessible only by ferry from Mull. Once home to over 800 people today just 16
00:26remain outnumbered by an abundance of wildlife at the center of the island stands all of a house
00:34an enchanting yet abandoned stately home waiting for something or someone to save it
00:48today two intrepid Australians have arrived determined to bring all the house back to life
01:09they have left their former lives on Mull to pour their hearts and life savings into restoring it
01:16to its former glory our vision for this is to be the grandest little hotel in the Hebrides
01:28I think that mold will just wash off stress
01:43we're home we're home do you love it yes I love it oh this is the lobby of our hotel
01:55is that not wild
01:56yeah it is we've taken a massive punt we've put everything on the line to do it because we
02:03kind of believe that we could turn this into something special the alternative is that we're
02:09we're in a office doing nine to five and we know we don't want to do that inside 27 rooms
02:15lie locked in
02:16a quiet war between grandeur and decay there's holes in the roof there's holes in the ceiling now there's
02:22no water no power no heating every inch of the house is covered in something
02:29but believe in the destination i do believe in the destination dal so just jump on yeah buckle up
02:36it's gonna be a ride years of neglect have left this listed masterpiece in a state of significant
02:44disrepair banjo and roll will need to simultaneously restore the crumbling structure of the building
02:50alongside orchestrating a grand interior the library mmm smell that get damp but also books and this room
03:01when a guest walks in needs to feel expensive now it feels dank the drawing room will be transformed
03:08into an exotic orangery so this room i love it's a showstopper isn't it oh my wow oh my gosh
03:16there is
03:17mold growing everywhere on the other side of the building the beating heart of the house we'll have our
03:25farmhouse kitchen our salamaria charcuterie and i've always wanted to do cured meats
03:30upstairs the luxurious guest bedrooms we'll get rid of the dead bird yeah and ensuite bathroom this room
03:37is listed for what demolition we'll have a spa where you can get a seaweed wrap like that's amazing
03:46this is doing my hardest the plan is to transform six key areas in a push to get the hotel
03:53operational before winter it's going to be decadent it's giving opulence it's giving grandeur
04:01the fires will be roaring the bedrooms are sumptuous and warm and there i am ready to greet them
04:08welcome to the grand island hotel
04:18that is crumbling before i ask sinking our money into this building trying to save it try and etch a
04:24living out of it it's an unusual way to invest your money and then like at the end of the
04:28day you know
04:29this isn't even a house either we'll never own this in 2018 the island made history backed by the
04:38scottish land fund the people of mull and alder came together to buy the island ending centuries of
04:45private ownership their mission was bold to breathe life back into the island and to shape their own
04:51future now the island and its properties are run by a charitable trust on mull
04:59on the board there are six people we've got some crofters we've got some business people and we've got
05:06some retired people that's me banjo and roll i've got over house on a rent and repair lease so they
05:14don't
05:15pay any rent while they're doing the work wait we're not going to own this house we're renting
05:20it off the board so this is like the world's biggest renovation yeah i think it's a risk but the
05:27reward is
05:28too great not to try since the community buyout banjo and roe have been the only souls daring
05:35enough to tackle this formidable restoration for seven years the locals have observed all the house
05:41slowly rot powerless to intervene my name is rudy i'm the ferryman on the isle of ulva and i've lived
05:54here most of my life to see it laid empty for so long has been a bit upsetting to see
05:59and from what i can
06:02see banjo and roe have enough energy to take it on so i'm really pleased for them the trust had
06:08professional surveys done to renovate the house and the quotation was two million pounds we've got
06:15150 000 pounds of our own money that's to live on to invest in this place oh wow yeah
06:26um actually no change my mind i do think i'm mental with that kind of money um yeah good luck
06:32to
06:33it's a massive job to take on for anybody and you have to be mad to think you can do
06:38it
06:41there's beyond no going back once this is signed it's a it's a legal document binding us to the
06:47responsibility of that house for the next 25 years we're leasing the building for a reasonable price
06:55because we're going to be investing our own money into repairing that building in addition to that once
07:00we have an established business a percentage of the profit that we make will then also go back to
07:04the trust which will then in turn go back to the iron but i didn't know we had to repair
07:09the roof of
07:10course we've got to repair the roof replace all the chimney flushing yeah have you looked into septic
07:15tanks how much they are no i i haven't have you husband oh my gosh please
07:28okay stop i can't i can't it's a lot it is a lot and it's scary but we can look
07:36after it we can be
07:36custodians of it and then it can hand over to someone else that's history and i think that's
07:41important and i think it's a great thing that we're a part of yeah it's gonna be okay it's good
07:48it's great
07:48that's great that's great that's great that's good i love you i love you too with the paperwork
07:59signed banjo and ro can move in and the work can officially begin in a house with no heating
08:06water or electrics they've prioritized the library it's the kind of room that i've always dreamed of
08:16this is gonna be magic yeah no i think we should keep it simple i don't know like imagine if
08:23michelangelo's boss said you know what let's dial the vision back a bit i bet he didn't have a
08:28supportive partner either but honestly am i are you not there imagine whiskey lit up and then a
08:36gorgeous big bar statement green marble top okay i do i know you love yeah yeah that's why you put
08:43that in
08:43it the library will be reborn in high gloss black set against an earthy green lime wash on the walls
08:52at its heart a bold unapologetically theatrical bar around it mohair armchairs and vintage furnishings
09:00will create a room where guests will lose track of time and perhaps themselves over a wee dram
09:06the whiskey library i want to put a high gloss lacquer finish on it so it's almost like a mirror
09:15i'm
09:16talking shiny the only thing is if you do that high gloss yeah like gloss shows up everything because
09:23it's all bubbled and blistered yeah so you will need to send that back to nothing so this can't have
09:30a
09:30speck of dust or any bumps so to put the high gloss on it needs to be like day one
09:36new there's a lot and
09:38that's before i've even added all my furniture i need to pick fabric i need to reupholster all my lounges
09:45i think we do have actually quite clear and defined roles i'm going to be head of manual labor and
09:50uh building and construction building waste management electricity water yeah i'm the chief imagination
09:58officer yeah um while the plan is to transform rooms one by one over the next few months the urgent
10:10structural issues with the house must also be resolved it might be summer now but winter is coming
10:16there is an urgency to it because the reality is it's about to get harsh and it's almost going to
10:21come to a grinding halt the insurance will be crippling that if we can't get this house
10:26wind and watertight bottom line is the house needs to be wind and watertight by winter
10:34to make all the house wind watertight and habitable banjo and roe must tackle the essentials
10:40they must repair the roof and replace any rotten windows install a working plumbing system to
10:48reinstate running water and rewire the entire house their first task is the electrics and luckily the
10:57island has its own resident electrician who's also a local deerstoker
11:08everything in the house will get wired back to here yep and this will be the main hub heating
11:12electrics gives you a proper plant room to function i don't want to put you on the spot how long
11:17jack
11:17and the job will take for the ground floor yeah but even if it's oh yeah okay four weeks why
11:26for the
11:27ground floor like i saw some money fly out the window yeah yeah well definitely flying out the window
11:38it's cold it's just cold at night though that wind is howling through those walls and windows
11:47now might be a good time to talk about the budget like their roles i think it's kind of going
11:55up in
11:56smoke we're kind of hemorrhaging money we want to get you know the baseline stuff done but that's all
12:01hidden and then by the time you know it comes to make it look nice you've you've got no money
12:08we
12:08have to be so careful with every penny that flies out the door yeah and i've bought a couple of
12:15new
12:15shirts a couple of new shirts well oh i can't be walking around naked everything that we can possibly
12:24do ourselves needs to be done ourselves if we don't get this where it needs to be
12:30to be able to start generating some sort of income it's a dead end it's a bloody scary thought
12:40definitely no more new shirts
12:49banj wants some sort of like glazy polishy finish on this that's going to make it really really shiny
12:54problem with that is any imperfections in the woods is going to show up so the wood has to be
12:59smooth
12:59as glass i'm going to sand all of this down because we don't have power at the moment we're limited
13:05in
13:05how we do it so i've got like old school hand sand or i've got paint stripper um so i'm
13:12going to test
13:12both and see which works safety first whatever this lacquer was that was previously on it has like
13:24split and crackled but it's quite thick and what i don't want to do is sand the wood because i'm
13:29going
13:29to end up with these pockets and these divots i'm going to try the paint stripper i've never used it
13:34before yada yada apply generous coat onto the surface
13:45okay it's been about an hour i don't know it looks like it's changed color so i'm hoping that
13:49that's because it's come off okay oh my god are you joking
14:00that's bloody amazing that's a game changer i definitely didn't buy enough like that didn't yeah
14:12originally built as a seat of the laird the head of the macquarie clan who once owned the island
14:17ulva house has been rebuilt over the centuries and its constant presence has become a defining
14:24landmark linking the island's past and future for a wee island ulva has a whole lot of history and i
14:31really want to get a sense of that i've invited the local mime artist historian and podcaster alistair
14:39and his sidekick andrina to record a little episode of their podcast the aim of this episode is to
14:45explore the context and history of ulva in relation to kind of the world around it were there any
14:50significant visitors that were associated with the isle of ulva at all well yes of course queen
14:55victoria came here in the 1840s captain cook he discovered australia and then we've got sir walter
15:02scott yes and he did a lot of sailing around here well of course um the island was the stronghold
15:07of
15:07macquarie's so lachlan macquarie born here in ulva in the late 1700s goes to australia and is now regarded
15:16as the founding father of the country
15:20is just crazy like lachlan macquarie set up my hometown in australia
15:29and he came back in disgrace well i mean he did lose his money he loved to drink and married
15:37his
15:37cousin say it's quite overwhelming how many people have passed through here beatrix potter holidayed on
15:44over wordsworth keats walter scott they've all stepped foot on the island i want the hotel to feel like us
15:53but it has to feel like it's on over getting that balance right is tricky
16:02i like to build a room around the things that i find so i'll go to salvage yards secondhand shops
16:09and what i find will help me build the room
16:16okay i've got my eye on this when i'm searching for treasure i'm always trying to find something
16:22that i think belongs in a space i'm waiting to find that wow piece yeah i've got something you
16:27might be interested in yeah so this is quite interesting it's a plan it's an old legal document
16:37of some kind and as you can see it's um isle of ulva wow that's beautiful but so that's the
16:44old old
16:45house 1771 to 1835. wow oh colonel macquarie of ulva i lived in this tiny town in the middle of
16:54nowhere
16:55and he found that town really yeah wow yeah so he's um he he traveled a long way from oh
17:02yeah he
17:03certainly did to get to the bush in australia and so did you yeah exactly gosh that's a good looking
17:09piece of history all right we'll take this good stuff banjo has found that link to the island's
17:15past that he was looking for and through one of his contacts he has also secured a statement piece
17:22which will truly transform the room into the whiskey library of dreams oh that's beautiful
17:29and this is a beast that's pretty impractical but and you know that feeling you've just got to have it
17:35i don't know if a row will have that feeling i'm just gonna i'll get it back to ulva ferry
17:40my job's
17:42done row has to get it in the house i you're not telling me you don't like this i love
17:48it what a
17:49beast it's a beast it's it's too big i just don't know i just you're not a visionary no i'm
17:56a practical
17:56person well the window will just have to come off how did you even get it here i drove it
18:02i picked it
18:04up i got it in the back of a truck with a bloke well you'll be getting in the back
18:08of a boat and
18:08the back of a yeah tractor on the back of a how are we even going to get it up
18:11to the house i'm just on
18:12the road buying little fluffy cushions no i don't i'm making power moves here this is the bargain
18:17it was a beast i couldn't say no to it it's coming why can't you just i just i know
18:22you don't mean it
18:23i just feel like sometimes you make things harder than the like you add layers what have you got here
18:29no just a little delivery i was not part of this decision making process terrible we'll give our
18:37go see he's a yes man right that's what we're encouraging the behavior rory
18:45get yeah you got this end
18:50oh what the hell a wee bit more
18:55here we go hey go down here rory i didn't think i didn't think you'd get it on let's see
19:00if we can
19:01get across first
19:11see right
19:12And tell me who would have I
19:17Without you
19:21I'm outside
19:25It's big.
19:26Yeah, I know it's bloody big.
19:28Is it too big?
19:28Yeah, of course it's too big.
19:29We have to take out a window.
19:30Are you joking?
19:32Yeah.
19:32Yeah.
19:33Yeah.
19:34Oi!
19:35You beauty.
19:37Thanks so much, gentlemen.
19:39I've done it again.
19:40Oh, shut up.
19:42It's so annoying.
19:45Because he's right.
19:46That's perfect.
19:48Hey.
19:49Hey.
19:51I did it.
19:52Good job.
20:06I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul.
20:11To balance that really shiny black gloss, I need the room to feel a bit more grounded.
20:17We need to bring it down to earth, so I want to put this wash on the wall.
20:22And Lydia is an incredible decorator.
20:29She's got this gorgeous lime wash effect that's going to add a touch of romance to the space.
20:35If in doubt, go darker.
20:37Darker.
20:37Moody-er.
20:38Because this kind of, it has to kind of talk to the black.
20:41Richer.
20:42Richer.
20:43Warmer.
20:43Richer and warmer.
20:45Yeah.
20:45Both of the things I wish I were.
20:47Yeah.
20:50So I'm just doing this in all directions.
20:52So the texture's good for that lime wash look.
20:55So you can roller it, and I think you get a bit more out of the colour if you've got
21:01this
21:01kind of two-dimensional brush look.
21:03It's going to create the mood that I want in that space.
21:07I want it to kind of feel like you're under a canopy of trees.
21:16I want to have the room finished for Ro, just because he just wants one room finished, that
21:22he can just sit in and be clean and relax.
21:26I don't want people to feel that we're just coming here and ripping the soul out of the
21:32place.
21:32We're trying to bring the soul back into the building.
21:37We're kind of custodians of this house.
21:40So Anne, the president of the board, she has all the books for the library.
21:46She's going to come and deliver it, and she's going to see.
21:49I'm nervous for her to see this, because she, you know, she kind of has trusted us as caretakers
21:58of this house, and first thing I've done is paint the beloved library black, so I'm a
22:05bit worried what she might think.
22:07I'm desperate for their approval.
22:13The library, newly restored, stands ready for Banjo's eclectic vintage furnishings.
22:21Oh, my guillemot.
22:23Oh, my marble side table.
22:26Oh, my gosh.
22:28You'd kill me.
22:31Do you like my pheasant?
22:33Um, no.
22:35I wonder what grandpa's going to think of the pheasant.
22:37He's not going to.
22:38Oh, grandpa, uh-oh.
22:42Elsewhere, the electricians have begun the daunting task of rewiring the property, and a temporary
22:48generator breathes life into the library once more.
22:52Brilliant, brilliant.
22:56Wow.
22:58What?
22:59That's lovely.
23:01Nice.
23:15I'm thinking Anne might think the library's going to be a lovely little subtle restoration
23:20job, but it's a full-blown makeover.
23:23It's like, I don't know what she's going to make of it.
23:27Hello.
23:30This is the first time someone from the Trust or the island has actually come in and had
23:33a look at what we've been doing, so it's a little bit nerve-wracking.
23:38Let's keep an eye on the books, Banjo, because I don't want them to get damaged.
23:43They're over 100 years old, some of them.
23:45Oh, really?
23:45Almost as old as you.
23:47Oh, thank you.
23:48Just kidding.
23:51Come in.
23:55Hi, Anne.
23:56Hiya.
23:58Oh, hello, hello, hello.
24:16Oh, look at the fire.
24:23Oh, it's gorgeous.
24:26It is lovely.
24:27And the lovely shiny black on the bookcases.
24:30That is just so chic.
24:36I mean, it's not exactly the library maybe you're expecting.
24:41No, I mean, I was quite a surprise to see that.
24:44I'm surprised, but not in a bad way.
24:46I love it.
24:47Well done.
24:48Oh, you like it?
24:49Yeah, I love it.
24:50Oh, phew.
24:53You've even got a library ladder.
24:55Wow.
24:56You've bought us a present.
24:57What's this?
24:59Well, this is part of a complete set of Sir Walter Scott's Waverly novels.
25:05It's on handmade paper.
25:08They're not that precious in terms of money,
25:12but they're precious in terms of the story.
25:15Yeah.
25:15Not only that they tell as a book,
25:17but of what they say about the people who lived here in the past.
25:21So these were here in the house before.
25:23Yes.
25:24So they're coming home.
25:25Yeah, they are.
25:26I love that.
25:27We have got gaps to fill on the bookshelf, Anne.
25:29OK.
25:30So these will go perfectly.
25:31Yeah, OK.
25:34It was very emotional.
25:36To see what they've done with the room
25:38and with the bar on one side and the books on the other side,
25:40that's a nice touch.
25:42There's bound to be somebody who says,
25:44oh, I don't like this, it's black,
25:45and, oh, why has it got a bar in it?
25:47There's bound to be.
25:48There's bound to be.
25:49Especially from the older residents.
25:52The people who have been here longer.
25:54So we'll just have to wait and see.
25:57Playing with a bit of drink first and getting in then.
26:03That's the first step in opening
26:05the grandest little hotel in the Hebrides.
26:11OK, Rose, switch it on.
26:16Switch the generator on.
26:24Our New Islanders have successfully completed
26:27their first room, secured a temporary source of power
26:31to the house, and have begun to gain the trust
26:34of their new neighbors.
26:35A new chapter of island life
26:38has officially begun.
26:40Oh, how lovely.
26:43Yeah, it is.
26:46It feels like this is just a little haven
26:49amongst the chaos.
26:51There's so much dust
26:53and noise all out there.
26:56We've built a little sanctuary.
26:58I think so has stood.
26:59I'm wrecked.
27:00I think you did an amazing job.
27:03I think we did an amazing job.
27:05I'm blown away.
27:06But look at it.
27:07It's just lovely.
27:09Feels like the library this home always deserved.
27:13You do a very good job of making something new
27:16feel like it's always been there.
27:18And this is what this feels like.
27:23No!
27:26It's the generator.
27:27That's the generator.
27:28Has it got enough fuel?
27:29No.
27:30Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild word
27:36It's hard to get by
27:38Just upon a smile
27:42Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild word
27:48I'll always remember you
27:50Like a child, girl
27:53Where should I be a man?
27:56You
27:59Like a child, girl
28:00Maybe a child still
28:00Who will be a man
Comments