Classic cars
Bangers & Cash: Mathewsons at Thornton-le-Dale
A quiet Yorkshire village with a beck and a thatched cottage is also, improbably, one of the best-known addresses in British classic-car circles. Mathewsons — the auction house from Bangers & Cash — is based here, and runs a motor museum in the village.
Who Mathewsons are
Mathewsons is a car and automobilia auction house based in Thornton-le-Dale. It is the business at the heart of the television series Bangers & Cash, which follows classic cars from barns, garages and estates through to the saleroom — and it is the reason a steady stream of visitors now arrives in the village with cameras pointed at something other than the thatched cottage.
For anyone who likes old cars, the appeal is obvious: this is a working auction house in a real village, not a visitor attraction built around a brand. That also means its day-to-day arrangements are driven by sale dates and filming schedules rather than tourist opening hours.
The motor museum in the village
Mathewsons also runs a motor museum in Thornton-le-Dale, with a frequently-changing display of classic cars. Because the display changes, no two visits are quite the same — a car you saw on television may be there one month and sold on by the next.
Making a day of it
Most people who come for the classic-car connection make a half-day of the village: museum first, then the beck, the green and the thatched cottage on the village page, with lunch or tea from the eating and drinking guide. If you are staying over and the cars are the point of the trip, Allerston Cottage is a classic-car-themed self-catering cottage in the next village — more on where to stay.
Arrive early on busy summer days. Parking guidance is on the visitor information page, including the large village car park off Maltongate (satnav YO18 7SD).
Common questions
- Where is Bangers & Cash filmed?
- Mathewsons, the classic-car and automobilia auction house featured in the TV series Bangers & Cash, is based in Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire, about three miles east of Pickering on the A170.
- Is there a Mathewsons motor museum in Thornton-le-Dale?
- Yes. Mathewsons runs a motor museum in the village with a frequently-changing display of classic cars. Opening days, times and admission details should be checked directly with Mathewsons before travelling.
- Can visitors attend a Mathewsons auction?
- Auction arrangements, viewing days and whether filming is taking place vary from sale to sale, so check the current arrangements with Mathewsons before making the journey.