Who is Derek Mathewson?

The founder of Mathewsons and the face of Bangers & Cash, a Yorkshire classic-car auctioneer trading since 1970, known for valuing originality and treating every car as living history.

Who are the Mathewsons on Bangers & Cash?

Founder Derek Mathewson and his sons Dave and Paul, who run the auctions and go out collecting cars, along with the wider Mathewsons team.

Can you visit Mathewsons in Thornton-le-Dale?

Yes. The gift shop and the Mathewsons Museum are at Roxby Garage on Pickering Road in the village, with a selection of Derek's favourites in one of the showrooms. Museum entry is £2.50 per person, correct at the time of writing, so check before you travel. The auctions are held at the Pickering site; check mathewsons.co.uk for current opening and auction dates.

When did Bangers & Cash start?

It first aired in 2019 on UKTV's Yesterday channel, and has run for multiple series plus the Restoring Classics spin-off.

Where are Mathewsons auctions held now?

At the Pickering site, Unit 10, Enterprise Way, Thornton Road, Pickering, which is also the head office. Thornton-le-Dale keeps the gift shop and museum at Roxby Garage.

Can you watch a Mathewsons auction?

No, the auctions themselves at the Pickering site are not open to the general public. What visitors can attend is the viewing held on view days before each sale, which costs £5 per person and goes to charity, correct at the time of writing. If you want to see the cars at Pickering, go on a view day, because on sale day the site is closed to the public. Check current view dates with Mathewsons before you travel.

Is there a bus from Thornton-le-Dale to Mathewsons at Pickering?

Yes, on view days only. A free shuttle bus runs between Thornton-le-Dale and the Pickering site on the view days before a sale, so visitors staying in the village can see the cars without driving. It does not run on auction days, which are not open to the public anyway. Times and pick-up arrangements are not published here, so check the current details with Mathewsons directly before you set off.

Where is Bangers & Cash located?

Mathewsons' gift shop and museum are at Roxby Garage, Pickering Road, Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire. The working auctions are held at the Mathewsons site on Enterprise Way, Pickering, a couple of miles away, with a free shuttle bus running between the two on view days. Both sit close to the A170 between Pickering and Scarborough.

Is Mathewsons still in Thornton-le-Dale?

Yes. The gift shop and the Mathewsons Museum remain in the village at Roxby Garage, while the auctions and head office are at the larger Pickering site.

Classic cars

Bangers & Cash and Mathewsons in Thornton-le-Dale

Thornton-le-Dale is the historical home of Mathewsons, the family classic-car auctioneers made famous by the TV series Bangers & Cash. The business grew up here, and while the working auctions have since moved to a larger site at Pickering, the village keeps the shop and the Mathewsons Museum of Derek Mathewson's own collection. Here's the story, who's who, and how to visit.

At a glance

Where: The Mathewsons gift shop and museum are at Roxby Garage, Pickering Road, Thornton-le-Dale; the head office and auction site are at Unit 10, Enterprise Way, Thornton Road, Pickering.
Famous for: The UKTV series Bangers & Cash (since 2019) and its Restoring Classics spin-off.
The family: Founder Derek Mathewson and his sons Dave and Paul.
Museum: A selection of Derek's favourites, viewable in one of the showrooms at Roxby Garage, alongside the gift shop. Stated opening is all week, 10am to 4pm, with summer opening 9am to 5pm from Easter to October.
Museum entry: £2.50 per person, correct at the time of writing, check before you travel.
Sale days: Auctions are held at the Pickering site and are not open to the general public. What visitors can attend is the viewing beforehand; see below.
Pre-auction viewing: Viewing the cars at Pickering before an auction costs £5 per person, which goes to charity. A free shuttle bus runs between Thornton-le-Dale and Pickering on view days only, so you can leave the car in the village. Correct at the time of writing, check before you travel.
Visiting: Check mathewsons.co.uk for current opening, auction dates and shuttle bus arrangements.

Where is Bangers & Cash filmed?

Bangers & Cash is filmed at Mathewsons, the family classic-car auctioneers. The shop and the Mathewsons Museum are in Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire (on Pickering Road), and the auctions are now filmed a couple of miles away at the Mathewsons site at Pickering, on the Enterprise Way industrial estate.

Who are Mathewsons?

Mathewsons is a family-run classic-car auction house founded by Derek Mathewson in 1970, beginning, in fact, far from Yorkshire, selling everyday and commercial vehicles in Bedfordshire. The family moved to North Yorkshire in the late 1980s, ran mainstream car franchises through the 1990s, and gradually let Derek's lifelong passion for classics take over the business. In 2011 they launched the classic-car auctions that would make their name, from their museum and showroom in Thornton-le-Dale.

Classic cars lined up outside the Mathewsons premises in Thornton-le-Dale — The Mathewsons premises in the middle of Thornton-le-Dale.

From Thornton-le-Dale to Pickering

As the auctions grew, today around nine sales a year, handling some 4,000 vehicles, the business outgrew the village. The auctions and head office are now a couple of miles away at Unit 10, Enterprise Way, Thornton Road, Pickering, with the warehouses of cars that fill each sale. Thornton-le-Dale remains the historical heart, though: the Mathewsons gift shop and museum are here at Roxby Garage on Pickering Road, where a selection of Derek's favourites can be seen in one of the showrooms. If you've come to the village hoping to see cars, the museum is your stop; if you want to see the sale cars at Pickering, go on a view day before a sale, when a free shuttle bus runs between the two. The auctions themselves are not open to the general public.

Interior of the Mathewsons Museum in Thornton-le-Dale with a changing display of classic cars — Inside the museum, where the display of classic cars changes regularly.

Derek Mathewson

Derek Mathewson is the founder and figurehead of the business and the familiar face of Bangers & Cash. A car trader since 1970, he built his reputation on an old-school philosophy that has become the show's charm: value originality over heavy restoration, treat every vehicle as a piece of living history, and give a humble Austin the same care as a six-figure Aston Martin, Astons being a particular passion, several of his own forming the heart of the museum.

The family and the team

The business is genuinely family-run. Derek's sons Dave and Paul Mathewson work alongside him and feature throughout Bangers & Cash, out on the road valuing and collecting cars, and back at the saleroom running the auctions, along with the wider Mathewsons team who bring the show its warmth and humour. It's that real family-firm authenticity, rather than any script, that made the series a hit.

Bangers & Cash, the TV series

Bangers & Cash first aired in 2019 on UKTV's Yesterday channel and follows the Mathewsons family as they track down, collect and auction classic and vintage vehicles across the country. Its unfussy, affectionate look at the classic-car trade struck a chord, running to multiple series and spawning a spin-off, Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics, which follows cars through restoration. The show put both Mathewsons and Thornton-le-Dale on the map for a whole new audience.

A classic red sports car on the Mathewsons turntable, of the kind sold at a Mathewsons classic-car auction — Cars are photographed on the turntable ahead of a sale.

Visiting Mathewsons

Planning a visit? See our Bangers & Cash day out for a full itinerary of the museum, the village, lunch and the afternoon.

Two places, two different visits. In Thornton-le-Dale, the gift shop and the Mathewsons Museum at Roxby Garage on Pickering Road let you see a selection of Derek's favourites in one of the showrooms, in the village where it all began. Entry to the museum is £2.50 per person. Stated opening is all week, 10am to 4pm, with summer opening of 9am to 5pm from Easter to October, and it no longer closes on Sundays in winter. The auctions are held at the Pickering site and are not open to the general public; on sale day the site is closed to visitors. What you can attend is the viewing held on view days before each sale, which costs £5 per person and goes to charity. A free shuttle bus runs between Thornton-le-Dale and Pickering on view days only, so you can base yourself in the village and still see the cars; its times and pick-up points are not published here. If you want to see the cars at Pickering, plan around a view day. Prices, dates, opening times and shuttle arrangements change, so check the Mathewsons website or ask Mathewsons directly before you set off.

Making a day of it? The beck, green and thatched cottage are all on the village page, with lunch or tea from the eating and drinking guide, parking guidance on the visitor information page, and local cottages on where to stay.

The classics that cross the block

If Bangers & Cash has given you a soft spot for a particular marque, you might enjoy our sister classic-car archives, closer looks at the cars themselves, written by a fellow enthusiast: the AC Aceca, MG T-Series, Triumph Stag and Jaguar Mk2 archives. They're the kinds of classics that cross Mathewsons' block every year.

Common questions

Where is Bangers & Cash filmed?: At Mathewsons, the family classic-car auctioneers. The business's historical home and museum are in Thornton-le-Dale, while the auctions are now filmed at their Pickering site.
Who is Derek Mathewson?: The founder of Mathewsons and the face of Bangers & Cash, a Yorkshire classic-car auctioneer trading since 1970, known for valuing originality and treating every car as living history.
Who are the Mathewsons on Bangers & Cash?: Founder Derek Mathewson and his sons Dave and Paul, who run the auctions and go out collecting cars, along with the wider Mathewsons team.
Can you visit Mathewsons in Thornton-le-Dale?: Yes. The gift shop and the Mathewsons Museum are at Roxby Garage on Pickering Road in the village, with a selection of Derek's favourites in one of the showrooms. Museum entry is £2.50 per person, correct at the time of writing, so check before you travel. The auctions are held at the Pickering site; check mathewsons.co.uk for current opening and auction dates.
When did Bangers & Cash start?: It first aired in 2019 on UKTV's Yesterday channel, and has run for multiple series plus the Restoring Classics spin-off.
Where are Mathewsons auctions held now?: At the Pickering site, Unit 10, Enterprise Way, Thornton Road, Pickering, which is also the head office. Thornton-le-Dale keeps the gift shop and museum at Roxby Garage.
Can you watch a Mathewsons auction?: No, the auctions themselves at the Pickering site are not open to the general public. What visitors can attend is the viewing held on view days before each sale, which costs £5 per person and goes to charity, correct at the time of writing. If you want to see the cars at Pickering, go on a view day, because on sale day the site is closed to the public. Check current view dates with Mathewsons before you travel.
Is there a bus from Thornton-le-Dale to Mathewsons at Pickering?: Yes, on view days only. A free shuttle bus runs between Thornton-le-Dale and the Pickering site on the view days before a sale, so visitors staying in the village can see the cars without driving. It does not run on auction days, which are not open to the public anyway. Times and pick-up arrangements are not published here, so check the current details with Mathewsons directly before you set off.
Where is Bangers & Cash located?: Mathewsons' gift shop and museum are at Roxby Garage, Pickering Road, Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire. The working auctions are held at the Mathewsons site on Enterprise Way, Pickering, a couple of miles away, with a free shuttle bus running between the two on view days. Both sit close to the A170 between Pickering and Scarborough.
Is Mathewsons still in Thornton-le-Dale?: Yes. The gift shop and the Mathewsons Museum remain in the village at Roxby Garage, while the auctions and head office are at the larger Pickering site.