There’s been a mover
TV ’tec Taggart’s iconic screen home is up for sale, writes Paul Drury
For legendary TV detective Jim Taggart, his bungalow offered a peaceful haven after a hard day solving crime in Glasgow, his trademark comment ‘There’s been a murder’ ringing in his colleagues’ ears.
The suburban domesticity provided the perfect foil to the grisly cases the old-school police officer encountered.
The character’s faithful wife, Jean, was wheelchair-bound, so the programme makers wanted a spacious, one-level property for filming – but this two-storey bungalow next to a bowling club in Giffnock, East renfrewshire, proved perfect.
Now the Taggarts’ TV home is up for sale.
Present owner William McGregor was not around when filming took place at the property, as actor Mark McManus, who played Taggart, had died five years before his family moved in.
But such was the popularity of the long-running show and the role of Mr McGregor’s home in the programme that he was soon aware of its claim to fame.
He said: ‘I was told about it when we were viewing the property in 1999 – the owners reckoned it was a big selling point. And no sooner had we moved in than everyone we met locally was reminding me about it.
‘one chap in the bowling club came up to me and asked, “Do you know you live in Taggart’s house?”.
‘STV used to rent the bowling club’s car park to store all their trucks and caravans during filming, so it was not exactly a secret.
‘others would come up and ask you if “there has been a murder”, which was funny the first time.’
Mr McGregor has watched early episodes of the show to try to spot for clips featuring Taggart and his wife in his living room.
He said: ‘The house would pop up two or three times in a season.
‘The best shot was one night when Taggart went outside with a whisky in his hand. Someone had thrown something at the window and he was going to investigate.’
In reality, the house is far larger than it appeared on television. There are five bedrooms and the home is built over two levels, something Taggart viewers were never shown.
Mr McGregor replaced the sliding doors that separated the large dining room from the living room with traditional wooden doors.
Wood is also a feature of the hallway, and the bouncy beech flooring was recovered from a squash court.
The kitchen is only three months old and there is a TV room to the rear of the bungalow.
The first floor provided what was almost a separate apartment for McGregor’s two sons when they were growing up.
on the upper floor there is a also a wide hallway, used as a lounge, three bedrooms and a shower room.
■ Offers over £430,000 to Scothousemove.com. Call 0141 465-7860 or email admin@scot housemove.com.