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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,
00:15instead a maze of footpaths accessible only by ferry from Mull. Once home to over 800 people,
00:24today just 16 remain, outnumbered by an abundance of wildlife. At the centre of the island stands
00:33Ulver House, an enchanting yet abandoned stately home, waiting for something or someone to save it.
00:48Today two intrepid Australians have arrived, determined to bring Ulver 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.
01:28Do you think that mould will just wash off? Strath.
01:44We're home. We're home. Do you love it? Yes! I love it.
01:51Oh! This is the lobby of our hotel. Is that not wild? Yeah it is. We've taken a massive punt,
02:00we've put everything on the line to do it, because we kind of believe that we can turn this into
02:06something special.
02:07The alternative is that we're in an office doing 9 to 5 and we know we don't want to do
02:12that.
02:13Inside, 27 rooms lie locked in a quiet war between grandeur and decay.
02:19There's holes in the roof. There's holes in the ceiling. There's no water, no power, no heating.
02:25Every inch of the house is covered in something.
02:29But believe in the destination. I do believe in the destination, Dale.
02:33So just jump on. Buckle up. It's gonna be a ride.
02:39Years of neglect have left this listed masterpiece in a state of significant disrepair.
02:45Banjo and Roll will need to simultaneously restore the crumbling structure of the building, alongside orchestrating a grand interior.
02:54The library. Mmm. Smell that. Damp. But also books.
03:00And this room when a guest walks in needs to feel expensive. Now it feels dank.
03:06The drawing room will be transformed into an exotic orangery.
03:10See, this room I love. It's a showstopper, isn't it? Oh my, wow.
03:15Oh my gosh. There is mould growing everywhere.
03:20On the other side of the building, the beating heart of the house.
03:24We'll have our farmhouse kitchen, our salamaria charcuterie.
03:28And I've always wanted to do cured meats.
03:30Upstairs, the luxurious guest bedrooms.
03:33We'll get rid of the dead birds. Yeah.
03:35And ensuite bathroom. This room is listed.
03:39For what? Demolition?
03:41We'll have a spa where you can get a seaweed wrap.
03:45Well, that's amazing. This is doing my hardest.
03:48The plan is to transform six key areas in a push to get the hotel operational before winter.
03:56It'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.
04:05And there I am, ready to greet them.
04:08Welcome to the Grand Island Hotel.
04:18That is crumbling before us.
04:21Sinking our money into this building, trying to save it, trying to etch a living out of it.
04:25It's an unusual way to invest your money.
04:27And then, like, at the end of the day, you know, this isn't even a house either.
04:31We'll never own this.
04:34In 2018, the island made history.
04:38Backed by the Scottish Land Fund, the people of Mull and Ulver came together to buy the island, ending centuries
04:44of private ownership.
04:45Their mission was bold, to breathe life back into the island and to shape their own future.
04:52Now the island and its properties are run by a charitable trust on Mull.
04:59On the board, there are six people.
05:02We've got some crofters.
05:04We've got some business people.
05:06And we've got some retired people.
05:08That's me.
05:10Banjo and Ro have got over house on a rent and repair lease.
05:14So they don't pay any rent while they're doing the work.
05:17Wait, we're not going to own this house.
05:19We're renting it off the board.
05:21So this is, like, the world's biggest rent-ovation.
05:25Yeah.
05:26I think it's a risk, but the reward is too great not to try.
05:30Since the community buyout, Banjo and Ro have been the only souls daring enough to tackle this formidable restoration.
05:38For seven years, the locals have observed Ulver House slowly rot, powerless to intervene.
05:50My name's Rudy.
05:51I'm the ferryman on the Isle of Ulver.
05:53And I've lived here most of my life.
05:55To see it laid empty for so long has been a bit upsetting to see.
06:00And from what I can see, Banjo and Ro have enough energy to take it on.
06:04So I'm really pleased for them.
06:07The Trust had professional surveys done to renovate the house.
06:12And the quotation was £2 million.
06:15We've got £150,000 of our own money.
06:18That's to live on, to invest in this place.
06:22Oh, wow. Yeah.
06:26Um, actually, no, change my mind.
06:29I do think they're made with that kind of money.
06:31Um, yeah.
06:32Good luck to them.
06:33It's a massive job to take on for anybody.
06:36And you have to be mad to think you can do it.
06:41There's beyond no going back once this is signed.
06:44It's a legal document binding us to the responsibility of that house for the next 25 years.
06:51We're leasing the building for a reasonable price because we're going to be investing our own money into repairing that
06:57building.
06:58In addition to that, once we have an established business, a percentage of the profit that we make will then
07:03also go back to the trust, which will then in turn go back to the iron.
07:07But I didn't know we had to repair the roof.
07:09Of course we've got to repair the roof.
07:11Replace all the chimney flushing.
07:13Yeah.
07:13Have you looked into septic tanks?
07:15How much they are?
07:16No.
07:17I haven't.
07:18Have you?
07:19Husband.
07:20Oh, my gosh.
07:21Please.
07:26It's all the sewing room.
07:28Okay, stop.
07:29I can't.
07:30I can't.
07:32It's a lot.
07:33It is a lot.
07:34It's a bit scary.
07:35But we can look after it.
07:36We can be custodians of it.
07:37And then it can hand over to someone else.
07:40That's history.
07:40And I think that's important.
07:41And I think it's a great thing that we're a part of.
07:43Yeah.
07:46It's got to be okay.
07:47It's good.
07:48It's great.
07:48It's great.
07:51It's great.
07:51It's great.
07:53It's good.
07:55I love you.
07:56I love you too.
07:58With the paperwork signed, Banjo and Ro can move in and the work can officially begin.
08:04In a house with no heating, water or electrics, they've prioritized the library.
08:13It's the kind of room that I've always dreamed of.
08:16This is going to be magic.
08:19Yeah, no, I think we should keep it simple.
08:20I don't know.
08:22Like, imagine if Michelangelo's boss said, you know what, let's dial the vision back a
08:27bit.
08:28I bet he didn't have a supportive partner either.
08:30But honestly, are you not there?
08:33Imagine whiskey lit up and then a gorgeous big bar, statement green marble top.
08:39Okay, I do like green marble.
08:42I know you love green marble.
08:42Yeah, yeah, that's why you put that in there.
08:44The library will be reborn in high gloss black, set against an earthy green limewash on the
08:51walls.
08:52At its heart, a bold, unapologetically theatrical bar.
08:56Around it, mohair armchairs and vintage furnishings will create a room where guests will
09:02lose track of time, and perhaps themselves over a wee dram.
09:07The Whiskey Library.
09:08I want to put a high gloss lacquer finish on it, so it's almost like a mirror.
09:15I'm talking shiny.
09:17The only thing is, if you do that high gloss.
09:19Yeah.
09:20Like, gloss shows up everything, because it's all bubbled and blistered.
09:24Yeah, so you will need to sand that back to nothing.
09:28So this can't have a speck of dust or any bumps.
09:32So to put the high gloss on, it needs to be like day one new.
09:36There's a lot.
09:38And that's before I've even added all my furniture.
09:40I need to pick fabric.
09:42I need to reupholster all my lounges.
09:45I think we do have actually quite clear and defined roles.
09:48I'm going to be head of manual labour.
09:50And building and construction.
09:52Building and construction.
09:53Waste management.
09:54Electricity.
09:55Water.
09:56Yeah.
09:56I'm the chief imagination officer.
10:00Yeah.
10:01Um.
10:04While 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.
10:13It 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
10:21going to come to a grinding halt.
10:22The insurance will be crippling if we can't get this house wind and watertight.
10:28Bottom 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.
10:41They must repair the roof and replace any rotten windows.
10:46Install a working plumbing system to reinstate running water and rewire the entire house.
10:54Their first task is the electrics and luckily the island has its own resident electrician.
11:02Who's also a local beer stoker.
11:08Everything in the house will get wired back to here.
11:10Yep.
11:10And this will be the main hub.
11:12Okay.
11:12Heating electrics.
11:13Gives you a proper plant room to function.
11:15I don't want to put you on the spot.
11:17How long, Jack, and the job will take.
11:20For the ground floor?
11:21Yeah.
11:22But even if it's not...
11:23Oh, yeah.
11:25Four weeks.
11:26Why?
11:27For the ground floor.
11:28Like, saw some money fly out the window.
11:31Yeah, yeah.
11:32Well, definitely flying out the window.
11:38It's cold.
11:41It's just cold at night though.
11:43That wind is howling through those walls and windows.
11:47Now might be a good time to talk about the budget.
11:50Like the roles?
11:53I think it's kind of going up in smoke.
11:56We're kind of hemorrhaging money.
11:58We want to get, you know, the baseline stuff done, but that's all hidden.
12:02And then by the time, you know, it comes to make it look nice.
12:07You've got no money.
12:08We have to be so careful with every penny that flies out the door.
12:13Yeah.
12:14And I've bought a couple of new shirts.
12:16A couple of new shirts?
12:19Well, I can't be walking around naked.
12:22Everything that we can possibly do ourselves needs to be done ourselves.
12:27If we don't get this where it needs to be to be able to start generating some sort of income,
12:32it's a dead end.
12:34It'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.
12:54The problem with that is any imperfections in the wood is going to show up.
12:58So the wood has to be smooth as glass.
13:00We've got to sand all of this down because we don't have power at the moment.
13:04We're limited in how we do it.
13:05So I've got, like, old school hand sand or I've got paint stripper.
13:11So I'm going to test both and see which works.
13:13Safety first.
13:22Whatever this lacquer was that was previously on it has, like, split and crackled, but it's quite thick.
13:27And what I don't want to do is sand the wood because I'm going to end up with these pockets
13:30and these divots.
13:31I'm going to try the paint stripper.
13:32I've never used it before.
13:34Yada, yada, yada.
13:35Apply a generous coat onto the surface.
13:45Okay, it's been about an hour.
13:46I don't know.
13:47It looks like it's changed colour.
13:48So I'm hoping that that's because it's come off.
13:52Okay.
13:53Oh, my God.
13:55Are you joking?
14:00That's bloody amazing.
14:01That's a game changer.
14:03I definitely didn't buy enough.
14:06Like, that didn't...
14:07Yeah.
14:12Originally built as the seat of the Laird, the head of the Macquarie clan who once owned the island, Ulva
14:18House has been rebuilt over the centuries, and its constant presence has become a defining landmark linking the island's past
14:26and future.
14:27For a wee island, Ulva has a whole lot of history, and I really want to get a sense of
14:33that.
14:33I've invited the local mime artist, historian, and podcaster, Alistair, and his sidekick, Andrena, to record a little episode of
14:42their podcast.
14:44The aim of this episode is to explore the context and history of Ulva in relation to, kind of, the
14:49world around it.
14:50Were there any significant visitors that were associated with the Isle of Ulva at all?
14:53Well, yes, of course.
14:55Queen Victoria came here in the 1840s.
14:58Captain Cook, he discovered Australia, and then we've got Sir Walter Scott.
15:02Yes.
15:02And he did a lot of sailing round here.
15:04Well, of course, the island was the stronghold of the Macquaries.
15:08So, Lachlan Macquarie, born here in Ulva in the late 1700s, goes to Australia, and is now regarded as the
15:16founding father of the country.
15:20It's just crazy. Like, Lachlan Macquarie set up my hometown in Australia.
15:29And he came back in disgrace.
15:32Well, I mean, he did lose his money, loved to drink, and married his cousin, say.
15:38It's quite overwhelming how many people have passed through here.
15:42Beatrix Potter holidayed on Ulva, Wordsworth, Keats, Walter Scott, they've all stepped foot on the island.
15:50I want the hotel to feel like us, but it has to feel like it's on Ulva.
15:56Getting that balance right is tricky.
16:03I like to build a room around the things that I find.
16:06So, I'll go to salvage yards, second-hand shops, and what I find will help me build the room.
16:16OK, I've got my eye on this.
16:18When I'm searching for treasure, I'm always trying to find something that I think belongs in a space.
16:24I'm waiting to find that wow piece.
16:26Yeah, I've got something you might be interested in.
16:29Yeah.
16:32So, this is quite interesting.
16:34It's a plan.
16:36It's an old legal document of some kind.
16:38And as you can see, it's the Isle of Ulva.
16:42Wow, that's beautiful.
16:44So, that's the old house.
16:471771 to 1835.
16:49Wow.
16:50Oh, Colonel Macquarie of Ulva.
16:52I lived in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere, and he found that town.
16:57Really?
16:57Yeah.
16:57Wow.
16:58Yeah.
16:59So, he traveled a long way from Ulva.
17:02Yeah, he certainly did.
17:03To get to the bush in Australia.
17:05And so did you.
17:06Yeah, exactly.
17:07Gosh, that's a good-looking piece of history.
17:10All right, we'll take this.
17:11Good stuff.
17:13Banjo has found that link to the island's past that he was looking for.
17:18And through one of his contacts, he has also secured a statement piece which will truly transform the room into
17:24the whiskey library of dreams.
17:27Oh, that's beautiful.
17:29And this is a beast.
17:31It's pretty impractical.
17:32But you know that feeling.
17:34You've just got to have it.
17:35I don't know if Roe will have that feeling.
17:37I'm just gonna...
17:38I'll get it back to Ulva Ferry.
17:41My job's done.
17:42Roe has to get it in the house.
17:46You're not telling me you don't like this.
17:48I love it.
17:49What a beast.
17:50It's a beast.
17:51It's too big.
17:52I just don't know.
17:53I just...
17:53You're not a visionary.
17:55No, I'm a practical person.
17:57Well, the window will just have to come off.
17:59How did you even get it here?
18:01I drove it.
18:03I picked it up.
18:04I got it in the back of a truck with a bloke.
18:07Well, you'll be getting it in the back of a boat and the back of a tractor and the back
18:10of a...
18:10How are we even gonna get it up to the house?
18:12Do you think that I'm just on the road buying little fluffy cushions?
18:14No, I don't...
18:15I'm making power moves here.
18:16This is a bargain.
18:17It was a beast.
18:18I couldn't say no to it.
18:20It's coming.
18:21Why can't you just...
18:21I just...
18:22I know you don't mean it.
18:23I just feel like sometimes you make things harder than the...
18:25Like you add layers.
18:28What have you got here or no?
18:30Just a little delivery.
18:32I was not part of this decision-making process.
18:35Doable.
18:36Look at that goal.
18:37See?
18:39He's a yes man, Ray.
18:40That's what we need more of.
18:41You're encouraging the behaviour, Rory.
18:46Yeah, you go up this end.
18:50Oh!
18:51What in hell?
18:52A wee bit more.
18:55Here we go.
18:56You missed.
18:57Hey, go down here, Rory.
18:59I didn't think you'd get it on.
19:00Let's see if we can get across first.
19:12See, Brad.
19:14Tell me who I'm by without you by my side.
19:25It's big.
19:26Yeah, I know it's bloody big.
19:27Is 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'll be okay.
19:37Oh, thanks 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 for the place.
19:49Hey.
19:49Hey.
19:51I did it.
19:52Good job.
20:10To 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.
20:20So I want to put this wash on the wall.
20:22And Lydia is an incredible decorator.
20:29She has 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 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.
20:50So 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.
20:57And I think you get a bit more out of the colour if you've got this kind of two-dimensional
21:02brush look.
21:04It'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.
21:21And he 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 place.
21:33We'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.
21:47And she's going to sit.
21:49I'm nervous for her to see this because she, you know, she kind of has trusted us as caretakers of
21:58this house.
21:58And first thing I've done is paint the beloved library black.
22:04So I'm a bit 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 Gilly Mart.
22:23Oh, my marble side table.
22:25Oh, my gosh.
22:28You'd kill me.
22:31Do you like my feather?
22:33Um, no.
22:35I wonder what grandpa's going to think of the feather.
22:37He's not.
22:38Oh, grandpa. Uh-oh.
22:43Elsewhere, the electricians have begun the daunting task of rewiring the property.
22:47And a temporary generator breathes life into the library once more.
22:52Brilliant, brilliant.
22:56Wow.
22:58What?
22:59Ooh.
23:00That's lovely.
23:01Nice.
23:15I'm thinking Anne might think the library's going to be a lovely little subtle restoration job, but it's a full
23:22-blown makeover.
23:23I 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 a look
23:33at what we've been doing.
23:34So 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 a hundred years old, some of them.
23:45Oh, really? Almost as old as you.
23:47Oh, thank you.
23:48Just kidding.
23:51Come in.
23:55Hi, Anne.
23:56Hiya.
23:58Oh!
23:59Hello, hello, hello.
24:03Oh!
24:21Look 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?
24:49I 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 to 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.
25:45It'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.
25:51The people have been here longer.
25:54So we'll just have to wait and see.
25:57Plying with a bit of drink first and getting in then.
26:03That's the first step in opening the grandest little hotel in the Hebrides.
26:11OK, Rose, switch it on.
26:16Switch the generator on.
26:21Now that I've lost everything...
26:24Oh.
26:25Our new islanders have successfully completed their first room,
26:29secured a temporary source of power to the house
26:32and have begun to gain the trust of their new neighbours.
26:35A new chapter of island life has officially begun.
26:40Oh, how lovely.
26:43Cheers.
26:47It feels like this is just a little haven amongst the chaos.
26:51There's so much dust and noise all out there.
26:56We've built a little sanctuary.
26:58I'm exhausted.
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 just before the smile.
27:43Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild word.
27:48I'll always remember you like the child girl.
27:53It's things orping congratulate you like theã‚£ do you, but I'm sorry.
27:53You're definitely Vonno раз crÃtica 5 ao f讓 everyone swerve me through.
27:54There we go.
27:56Period was not effective.
27:56Yeah, it is.
27:56Right?
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