m - Isle of Man Today

A m ILLENNIUm PORTRAIT 

B I S H O P T H O M A S W I L S O N 

In his ‘A History of the Manx Church 1698-1911’ Canon John Gelling says ‘On April 6, 1698 

a small group of clergy and prominent laymen gathered at Derbyhaven (then a thriving port) 

to welcome their new Bishop, Thomas Wilson, who had left England on April 2. They 

accompanied him to the capital, Castletown, where he paid his respects to the Governor, 

Colonel Nicholas Stanley and preached his first sermon in his new diocese on ‘the barren fig 

tree.’ Four days later he set off on horseback (there were no carriage in the Island in those days) 

with the Governor and other high officials and made his way on rough tracks over the 

mountains to Peel, the Cathedral City. There he was, on April 11, installed as Bishop by 

Samuel Wattleworth, Vicar of German and Vicar General (1694-1703) and later 

Archdeacon who, being a Manx speaker and knowing only a little English, conducted the 

service in Latin.’ 

Canon Gelling adds: ‘It was a momentous day in the history of the 

diocese.’ Indeed it was. Bishop Wilson was to become the greatest 

prelate in the history of the Diocese of Sodor and Man. The legacy 

of what he did for the people and Church of the Island endures to 

this day and his name remains in everyday currency. 

He was 34, the son of a Cheshire farmer, when he began his remarkable 

57 years in office. He studied medicine at Trinity College, Dublin, then 

entered the ministry and became domestic chaplain to the Lord of Mann, 

the 9th Earl of Derby, who nominated him for the long vacant Manx see. 

He found it in a sorry condition. Bishopscourt and St German’s Cathedral 

were in a poor state of repair as were many churches and vicarages. The 

Clergy were of indifferent quality, the Manx people ignorant and poor, 

speaking an obscure language and largely engaged in the smuggling trade. It 

was a backward third world country of its day. 

Wilson set about putting things to rights with an energy that was to remain 

undiminished. First he reinstated Bishopscourt and its grounds, largely at his 

own expense. But for him it might have been lost forever. He had less success 

however with restoring St German’s Cathedral – as did one of his successors, 

Bishop Benjamin Pollard, in the 1960’s. 

Wilson also pushed the Clergy into improving their spiritual and academic 

standards and the way they carried out their parish duties. He recognised that 

low stipends were a root cause of the problem and set about improving the rate 

for the job. At the same time he restored and re-built churches and also built 

new ones, including St Matthew’s in Douglas. 

To all this he contributed liberally from his comparatively modest income for a 

bishop, £300-a-year. But he also seems to have found wealthy patrons on and 

off the Island whose resources he tapped. He played a highly active 

part in church activities, riding around the diocese until his 80th 

year to take at least one service somewhere every Sunday. 

Education was another of his concerns. He saw that making the 

clergy responsible for educating their young parishioners was 

too great a burden and he allowed the appointment of lay people 

as teachers and made churchwardens responsible for providing 

schools. He was a prime mover in the Island’s first Education Act 

in 1703. 

As a farmer’s son he introduced modern agricultural methods into the Island 

and made his farm at Bishopscourt a model for others to follow. In 1739-41 there 

was a famine. Wilson fed people with Bishopscourt produce and gave them shoes 

and clothing. Canon Gelling tells us that the doors of Bishopscourt were always open to 

petitioners. At the same time Wilson’s medical training made him the only doctor in the Island. 

If ever there was a hands-on bishop it was Wilson but Canon Gelling records that he ‘was worn 

out with visiting and tending the sick who flocked to Bishopscourt from all quarters for healing, 

but by these measures he must have saved hundreds from dying of starvation or disease.’ 

Wilson quickly acknowledged that many of his Manx flock could not follow services in English 

and he initiated the translation of the bible and the prayer book into Manx. He learned the 

language himself, although he found it difficult and used it in carrying out baptisms and 

confirmations. He was a bishop who reached out to his people and involved himself closely with 

their everyday lives. They very likely had not seen his like before. 

They also had reason to be grateful to him for the Act of Settlement of 1703, sometimes called 

the Manx Magna Carta, which gave Manx people right of land tenure. 

But the most dramatic interlude in his term of office arose from his part in the struggle 

between Church and State in imposing the rule of law. Wilson believed it was for the 

Church courts to punish society’s offenders. This brought him into conflict with the 

civil authority represented by the Governor. It was a grim struggle for supremacy 

with no holds barred, particularly on the part of Governor Horne who, in 1722, 

acting rather dubiously in the name of Tynwald Court, imprisoned Wilson in 

Castle Rushen for non-payment of a fine for contempt of court. 

Horne found he had a tiger by the tail. Wilson preached daily to large crowds 

through his barred window. The Manx people resented Horne’s action as an 

infringement of their liberties. They surrounded the castle and threatened 

violence. Wilson dissuaded them. He optioned for a petition to the King 

seeking release. It went to the Privy Council and Horne was instructed to set 

Wilson free. 

A procession three miles long escorted Wilson on his ride from Castletown to 

Bishopscourt. He had been in Castle Rushen from June 29 to August 29 and it 

had been a rigorous ordeal. But Wilson was now forever secure in the hearts and 

minds of the Manx people. 

But although his battle with the State was won, his war was lost. Church courts 

fell into disuse in the last 20 years of his life. 

Wilson remained thoroughly committed otherwise to the affairs of the diocese 

although he made a concession to old age when he gave up his shaggy little Manx 

pony in favour of travel by horse and carriage. He continued to devote 60 per cent 

of his income to the improvement of church property and he made room for other 

faiths. His services were attended by Catholics and Methodists and he allowed 

Quakers freedom of worship. 

Wilson’s wife Mary died in 1705 after only seven years of marriage and he did 

not re-marry. They had a son, Thomas and three other children died in 

infancy. 

In time his health began to fail and in March 1755 he died 

peacefully at the age of 91 after taking a chill while walking in the 

grounds of his beloved Bishopscourt, where today a statue of him 

stands. It was erected by the present owner of Bishopscourt, Mr 

Graham Ferguson Lacey. There are remarkably few public statues 

in the Isle of Man. Wilson’s is one of them. 

His funeral was a day of mourning throughout the Island and he 

was buried opposite the east window of Kirk Michael Church. He 

left money to the poor of each of his parishes. Canon Gelling quotes Spencer 

Walpole as saying: ‘As a bishop Wilson lived some centuries too late; as a statesman 

he was a century before his time.’ 

Note: ‘A History of the Manx Church 1698-1911’ by Canon John Gelling is published by the 

Manx Heritage Foundation. 

Terry Cringle 

K C M Y 

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June 1999m 

m anx 

illenniumPart 2000AD 

Six 

A l o o k b a c k i n t i m e a s w e a p p r o a c h 

t h e n e w m i l l e n n i u m 

If sold separately – 50p 

Manx 

National 

Heritage 

Eiraght Ashoonagh 

Vannin 

Fort Anne, South Quay, 

Douglas, Isle of Man IM1 5PD 

Telephone 01624 649649 

S H I P 

M A N A G E M E N T F O R T H E N E X T M I L L E N A R Y 

An Isle of Man Newspapers Publication 

sponsored by The Midocean Group of Companies

Iam delighted to be welcoming you 

to the issue of Manx Millennium 

that brings us to the halfway point 

in the series. And, as it is my first 

introduction to this Midocean 

sponsored supplement, I would like to 

take this opportunity to introduce 

myself to you. 

I am one of a team of three people 

who created Midocean nine years ago 

and has witnessed its expansion into 

one of the the leading ship 

management companies in the Isle of 

Man. My task now as Managing 

Director is to steer Midocean towards 

even greater success from our Fort 

Anne headquarters on South Quay in 

Douglas - headquarters which have a 

most important link with the Island’s 

rich maritime history. 

Fort Anne was the home of the founder 

of the Royal National Lifeboat 

Institution, Sir William Hillary, and 

later this year we intend to unveil a 

statue of Sir William in the grounds. 

In this way, we believe we can 

maintain that vital link to the past 

while striving to meet the new 

challenges the next century will 

present. 

I hope that, like me you will continue 

to enjoy in the Manx Millennium the 

photographs and profiles of places and 

people from our Island’s recent past. I 

look forward to the next six issues that 

will bring us right up to the dawning of 

the new millennium. 

Christos Ashiotis 

Managing Director 

Thank you to all those readers who 

contacted me regarding the 

photographs in edition number 

five. 

This is what you had to tell me: on page 

four the locomotive Douglas during the 

second world war had as its driver 

Tommy Cannan 

and his son was 

the fireman. His 

brother Alfie was 

the station master 

at Ballaugh. The 

train used to 

come out of 

Ramsey each 

morning bringing 

the alien internees 

to the country stations to work on the 

farms. 

The local lads nicknamed the loco ‘the 

doodlebug’. At one time the staff kept a 

pet eel in the 

water tank which 

they would feed 

regularly. The fish 

presumably got 

into the tank 

when water was 

being taken on. 

The straw structure 

on page five was a 

‘goosenest’ which 

was made out of twigs tied together at the top 

and then thatched. On page six the traction 

engine was made by McLaren of Leeds (works 

number 178 – new in April, 1883) initially 

she belonged to 

John Corlett of 

Ramsey and then 

Daniel Kelly and 

Sons of Kirk 

Michael (later 

known as Kelly 

Brothers). Two 

suggestions have 

been given for the 

location on is 

Moaney Moar at 

Cronk-y-Voddy and 

the other is the Village Green at Kirk Michael. 

This site is now greatly covered by the Isle of 

Man Bank, the police station and Kerrocruim. 

The out building being behind number one, 

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2 anxmillennium 

manx illennium 

23 

Peter Kelly writes 

With its fascinating glimpses of the 

Island's past, this series of Manx 

Millennium supplements is clearly 

capturing the public's imagination as 

librarian archivist at Manx National Heritage 

Roger Sims is discovering. 

Roger says: 'This series - now in its sixth issue 

- has prompted a most encouraging response 

from readers, both in the Island and further 

afield. Without doubt the public, indeed 

appreciate this opportunity to discover more 

about our Island's past through the excellent 

selection, chosen by architectural historian 

Peter Kelly, of photographs from the Library's 

archives.' 

Peter Kelly is similarly heartened by the 

reception of the Manx Millennium 

supplements. He says: 'I am delighted with the 

continuing response and encouraging 

comments which these photographs have 

prompted from readers.' 

Roger Sims goes on: 'Naturally, we are grateful 

for the archive material which has come to 

light so far, but Manx National Heritage is still 

keen to acquire yet more photographs and 

Station Road which was run as a small farm. 

One suggestion for the mill on page seven 

and that was Milntown but I am not sure 

about that one. On page eight, two 

readers identified the cottage as 

being at the bottom of the hill 

Glen Maye with W E Quirk’s 

house on the hillside. The out 

b u i l d i n g s 

apparently are no 

longer there. For 

the agricultural 

show on page nine 

comes the 

suggestion that it is 

at Westhill, 

Castletown where the 

southern shows were held. 

The photograph of the Point 

of Ayre lighthouse 

was pre-1898 for that is when the 

new copper dome was put on. 

During recent renovation work a 

linseed oil bottle was found which 

contained the names of all those 

who worked on the 1898 

alterations. 

I was right with the 

j a c k d a w 

photograph on 

page 13. It was 

Bradda East and the house in 

the distance was Marrowee 

which was built as a summer 

residence for Mr Pilkington 

the glass 

manufacturer in 

1902. The birds on page 16 were 

Manx bantams belonging to 

Nelson Mandell’s father (who was 

Nelson Mandell?) and won a 

poultry show at 

Crystal Palace. 

The view inside 

Ramsey Mart was 

most probably the 

Christmas Fatstock 

show which was attended by 

farmers and butchers. There is 

a similar photograph in 

circulation which I believe 

bears the date 1909. The man 

with beard and moustache 

standing at the rear end of the bull is possibly 

Dr Sugden. Now the boats on page 21, 

against the Battery Pier I have had both 

Snaefell (2) and King Orry (2) suggested; the 

cinefilm, manuscripts and documents. We 

welcome the opportunity to make a 

qualitative assessment of any material, all of 

which will, of course, be treated with the 

utmost care, and that which is deemed of 

historical importance can be either deposited 

with Manx National Heritage or copied then 

returned to the owner. The material will be 

added to our national image archive.' 

Already, a surprising number of historically 

important photographs and cinefilm has come 

to the attention of the library, proffered by 

readers of these supplements. Manx National 

Heritage has also been encouraged by the 

response to the appeal it made recently for old 

photographs and cinefilm of Rushen Abbey, 

which has unearthed some interesting footage. 

Similarly it would be pleased to hear from 

anyone with photographs - either of the 

exterior or interior - of the old House of Keys 

in Castletown. 

Roger Sims says: 'Every photograph makes 

some contribution to learning more about our 

past, and even those which are not of prime 

archive importance can still provide valuable 

background information which helps us 

outter boat has general agreement as being 

Mona (3). The ship in the foreground has been 

identified as the ‘Sarah Blanche’ built in 

1891. One caller says she was owned by 

Joseph Sharpe, 

the Douglas 

Coal Merchant 

whilst another 

says her owners 

were Andrew 

Knowles and 

Sons Limited 

c o l l i e r y 

proprietors of 

Pendlebury. 

She sank at the 

mouth of the Manchester ship canal in 

February 1905 but was raised and repaired. 

(perhaps this is when Joseph Sharpe brought 

her). In 1923 

she was sold to 

the Ramsey 

Steamship 

Company and 

renamed ‘Ben 

Blanche.’ In 

December 

1933 she was 

wrecked on the 

South Wales 

coast at 

Oxwich Point. 

All seven of the crew were rescued by the 

Mumbles lifeboat. 

The harvest festival in Atholl Street Chapel, 

Peel has the 

same format of 

decoration as 

was carried out 

for many years, 

fishing nets on 

the balcony 

front, ivy on the 

columns and 

autumn leaves 

on the pulpit. 

From edition number four, the suggestion has 

come forward that the two girls on the bridge 

on page three is at the end of the postman’s 

path at Glen Maye. The cottages on page 22 

are indeed opposite sandpit lane but on the 

Peel to Poortown Road not the Douglas to 

Peel Road. One cottage was occupied by Mrs 

Crebbin and the other by Liza Boyde. Thank 

you all once again for your help. 

So far, so fascinating 

acquire a greater historical perspective of life 

and times in the Isle of Man over the last 140 

years. And in this edition of the Manx 

Millennium supplement, has been included a 

selection of photographs which have been 

handed in to Manx National Heritage in 

recent months. 

'These supplements, as well as providing a 

wonderful insight into times past in the Isle of 

Man, have also, by extension, alerted a wider 

audience to the "treasure house" that is the 

Manx Museum's library. More people than 

ever are using the Reading Room to see more 

of their village or chosen area. People who, 

prior to this project might never have ventured 

across our threshold.' 

If anyone has material they would care 

either to donate or lend to the Manx 

National Heritage Library, they are 

invited to contact librarian archivist 

Roger Sims or Wendy Thirkettle at the 

Manx National Heritage Library, the 

Manx Museum, Douglas. Telephone 

648000. 

K C M Y 

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This view should be recognised by all readers. It is of 

course at Silverdale with the mill dam being used as a 

boating lake. Through the open doors of the mill tables 

with white table cloths can be seen. An early case of building 

recycling or alternative use and what's more its still there and 

in use to this day. The cafe which is now used was a purposebuilt 

extension of around 1910. The fascinating feature at 

Silverdale has always been the roundabout, driven by the 

waterwheel it was as much fun to operate the controlling lever as 

to ride the fine carved hobby horses. Don’t forget, too, the swing 

boats where pulling on opposite ropes took the wooden vessel 

higher and higher. Countless thousands of children have enjoyed 

themselves here over the years but of recent times we have become 

too safety conscious and the swing boats have gone, the occasional 

tree root has been covered by rubber matting and a cage has been 

placed over the water wheel. Couldn’t wire netting have been placed 

under the wooden surround for it would have served the same 

purpose and looked a lot better? This view has been printed from a 

glass negative recently given to the Museum Library. 

(MNH/gift/679) 

This scene is a lot quieter than it was 

earlier this month for this view shows 

the approach to Ballaugh Bridge on 

the TT course. It’s hard to imagine the life 

of the people in these country districts 

before the advent of the Northern Railway 

which opened on 23rd September 1879. Prior 

to that farmers with their carts and those 

with ponies and traps could travel to 

Ramsey and Peel but what about the poor 

labourer? He could only walk to these places 

but with Sunday his only day off when could 

he do it? Up to a few years ago there were 

still locals who had never been off the Island 

but 150 years ago there must have been 

country folk who had never been to Douglas. 

How times have changed with people living in 

the hills and ayres and yet travelling into 

Douglas to work every day. (MNH/pic/3625) 

This is probably the most important view in 

this edition because it records a one-off 

event that took place in 1895 and this is the 

only photograph that I know of it. The title on the 

lantern slide ‘Skating at Pulrose’ although I 

rather feel it is more likely to be the grounds of 

Kirby. It was as a result of the Great Snow and 

18 degrees of frost that followed that skating was 

possible at Kirby for about half a mile as far as 

Kirk Braddan. The ice was between four and five 

inches thick. Mr George Drinkwater arranged to 

have the surface flooded every night so as to 

provide a clear surface of ice each morning. A 

roadway was cut through the snow at 

Quarterbridge to help people gain access instead of 

having to wade through deep snow. Some of the 

estate workers were engaged in sweeping the ice and 

putting out seats and benches. Refreshments in the 

form of hot drinks were served by Mrs George 

Drinkwater who had sent out invitations to a large 

company of ladies and gentleman who came to skate 

each day. There were several good skaters including 

Mr Drinkwater, Father Miller and Father Walsh 

curate and parish priest of St Mary’s Douglas 

respectively. What I find remarkable is the fact that 

as this was a one-off event where did all the skates 

come from? Did people have them just in case or did 

somebody do a roaring trade. Can you imagine years 

later a wife saying to her husband: “I don’t know why 

you hang on to these skates, you haven’t used them 

since 1895!” (MNH/pic/807)

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The setting is King William’s College in front of the attractive half timbered 

cricket pavilion. In the foreground a circle of scouts but unfortunately its 

not possible to establish who the officials are on the terraced seating. The 

scout troop at King William’s College was believed to have been founded 

unofficially by pupil Elgie Jefferson of Ballahot around 1908 but in January 1910 

the official 1st King William’s College troop was founded under the leadership of 

scoutmaster L. T. Watkins. The numbers soon grew to 50 which although large 

could not compare with the 80 in the 1st Douglas. Sir Robert Baden-Powell visited 

the Island in April 1911; he inspected the troops at Government House on Saturday 

afternoon then addressed them at the Gaiety Theatre in the evening. The following 

day he attended morning service at King William’s College Chapel and afterwards he 

addressed the scouts in the gymnasium. What a pity this lantern slide of Canon 

Stenning’s wasn’t of B-P’s visit. King William’s is believed to be the first public school 

scout troop to be formed in the world. B-P, in his chat with the boys, he appealed to the 

older lads to come forward in the future as scoutmasters. The need then was as great 

as it is now. It is interesting to note that the number of scouts, cubs and beavers has this 

year increased and in several cases there are waiting lists but without leaders and 

helpers the lads may lose their chance of gaining something of the experience that many 

will look back on with pride. The late T. H. Colebourn attributed his success in business 

to the principles of scouting and quoted Baden-Powell’s maxim “to leave our world a 

little better than we found it”. (MNH/pic/1796) 

Here is a lantern slide 

that causes me to think 

hard about the harsh 

realities of life. Canon 

Stenning has captured 

students at King William’s 

College taking part in 

bayonet practice probably on 

the strip of land running 

parallel to the road to 

Derbyhaven. In the 

background is the College 

sanatorium which would now 

be on the airfield at Isle of 

Man (Ronaldsway) Airport 

(let’s use the proper title). 

What strikes me about this 

picture is the fact that here 

the boys are charging a sack 

hanging from a pole. A few 

months later it was for real 

with young German soldiers 

as the target. When the Great 

War broke out there were 104 

cadets in the college OTC. 

They had been in camp at 

Aldershot in July of 1914 and 

on the way back to the Island 

two cadets ‘joined up’ at 

Liverpool. During the war 45 

former members of the corps 

were killed and a further 45 

wounded. Between them they 

earned the following awards: 

seven DSO’s, two DSC’s, 25 

MC’s, two Croix de Guerre, 

three MM’s and three DCM’s. 

Look again at the photograph 

of these young lads whose life 

was not yet run and think what 

they gave for us. 

(MNH/pic/1770) 

This lantern slide 

was given to the 

Manx Museum 

library by L. V. Gill and 

bears the title “Jane 

Quill’s Cottage, Colby”. 

Notice how the cottage 

has been extended to 

the left and to the right. 

Both extensions are not 

the full height of the 

thatched cottage which 

might have suffered a 

little from down 

draught for the right 

hand chimney stack has 

been raised in brick 

work. Is that Jane Quill 

at the door? The cottage 

was located on the main 

road and I wonder if it 

was just before the 

Colby Glen Hotel – do 

you 

know? 


Here we are in the 

centre of the universe – 

Onchan. Before us lies 

Church Road or to give its 

local name The Butt which is 

believed to be on account of 

the water butts that once 

stood at the top of the hill. On 

the left is Molly Carrooin’s 

cottage, the home of the 

village washerwoman. Across 

the road is Faragher’s 

blacksmithy but in this view it 

is being used by Mr Kelly the 

joiner. On the bushes washing 

has been placed to dry in the 

sunshine. Beneath the smithy 

yard are two cottages built by 

Leece Skillicorn and beyond 

that the old parochial school 

which was replaced in 1876 by 

the present Onchan school. In 

the background St Peter’s 

church of 1833. It was in the 

previous parish church that 

Captain Bligh, then a young 

lieutenant, married Elizabeth 

Betham of The Hague Farm in 

Onchan. (MNH/pic/3469)

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This photograph is taken from a glass plate 

negative which has been given to the Manx 

Museum by a reader following the start of this 

series of views from the vast collection held in the 

library archive. It shows the washing floor at Laxey 

which is now the Valley Gardens. On the skyline to 

the left is the school which was replaced by the 

present Laxey school in the mid 1920’s to the designs 

of J. Mitchell Bottomley who designed other Manx 

schools including Murray’s Road, St Ninian’s High 

School and Four Roads School at Rushen. There does 

not appear to be any electric railway to Ramsey in this 

photograph. The washing floors just fell into disrepair 

after the mines closed but in the post-war years a 

scheme was prepared to improve the scar on the 

landscape. Douglas Calder the architect/planning 

officer of the LGB drew up a scheme of hard landscaping 

using what was left of walls and features. In this 

photograph a ladder leans against a tower of masonry 

which was supporting a leat. Now it, and its twin on the 

other side of the river, have concrete crowns. Other 

areas have been paved, a compass set in stone, concrete 

balls placed on divisions between the shoots and a war 

memorial created. (MNH/gift/679) 

Also from the Canon Stenning collection 

comes this view of the OTC presumably in 

camp. Behind the boys and on the 

extreme right can just be seen bell tents but 

these did not belong to the TC. This view is 

taken from what became the Howstrake 

Holiday Camp. The land and the first 

corrugated buildings were all part of 

Lagbirragh Park or Howstrake Park which 

opened on 1st July 1895 but only ran for two 

seasons. Mr. Cunningham who claims to have 

established his holiday camp business in 1887 

took a lease of the land. Jill Drower his 

granddaughter in her book ‘Good Clean Fun’ tells 

us how he used to bring parties of Liverpool 

youths to Laxey. Of recent times it has come to 

light that he was renting land from Douglas 

Corporation Water Works down in the Groudle 

Valley close to the old mill. Moving onto the hill 

had the advantages of buildings insitu, an 

impressive entrance from King Edward Road and 

being closer to the Electric Railway. The season 

of 1903 saw one disastrous morning when the wind 

tore to shreds no fewer than 65 tents. The 

following year he opened up in Douglas at Little 

Switzerland. (MNH/pic/1769) 

Here we have a view taken from a magic lantern 

slide which shows a boat being unloaded at Port St 

Mary. The horses and carts are lined up but we 

cannot see what they are about to have placed in them. It 

looks too clean for coal yet that is what you would expect 

in the large bucket. I have selected this view for a reason; 

there was a print produced of a painting by J. Aitken 

showing boats tied along the breakwater at Port St Mary. 

They were not steam coasters like this but they have a man 

with a bent back like the man in this picture. It is a while 

since I have seen these prints but I seem to remember that he 

always looked too tall for the painting. (MNH/pic/805) 

Back to Peel for this view of Peel by G. B. 

Cowen the Ramsey photographer. In the 

foreground the road bridge connects with 

the quay side leading to the castle; notice the 

makeshift stone wall at the end of the railings 

on the left. There is no roadway running on the 

harbour side of the railway station at this time, 

access was via Mill Road. The railway station 

building was built in 1907-1908 to the designs of 

Harry Cowle (son of James Cowle architect and 

builder of Douglas). It was in an arts and crafts 

style of rough cast walls with half timbering, 

sandstone dressings and the distinctive feature 

of a red rosemary tiled roof. This was replaced 

with artificial slate during the time the station 

became the Fisherman’s Association 

Headquarters. The tower to St Peter’s Church 

stands above the collection of warehouses and 

dwellings that go to make up the old part of the 

town. This slide was a gift to the Manx Museum 

Library in 1960 by D. Craine (MNH/pic/3604) 

Following on from the 

picture of the Royal 

Navy Reserve in 

edition number 5, here we 

have another view of them on 

Peel beach. In the background 

the breakwater is being 

extended by the use of Hercules 

the giant crane that had 

previously been used on the 

extension of the Victoria Pier in 

Douglas. It was taken to pieces 

and shipped to Peel where it was 

re-erected but I don’t know what 

happened to it afterwards. 

(MNH/pic/795) 

Up on the roof but which roof sat 

behind a castellated parapet? This 

view was taken by Eidran Paris and 

the label says Bishop’s Court Tower. I have 

to admit that I have never been on the roof 

of the Tower nor any other part of the roof of 

Bishop’s Court so I cannot confirm the title. 

It is interesting to see the chimney pots on 

the chimney stacks which have been designed 

to look like part of the castellation (rather like 

the chimney on St Luke’s, Baldwin made into a 

cross.) What a combination of roofs we have 

here and look how there is an inner section of 

castellation between the roofs. The original 

Orry Tower was castellated then Bishop Crigan 

took that military look away and turned the 

tower into a Queen Anne style house. Bishop 

Murray put the battlements back on the tower 

and all around the rest of the building. A study 

was made by the late Robert Curphey, a fine 

historian with a detective stroke in his work and 

published in the Manx Museum Journal of 1976 

but there is room for this to be taken further. 

(MNH/pic/3522)

20 

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The year is 1895 and we are looking at 

another view of the Great Snow, this time in 

Parliament Street, Ramsey. In the distance 

the rear of the Saddle Hotel on the ground floor 

shops were occupied for many years by W. H. 

Looney. The trees behind the railings are in 

front of the Ramsey courthouse while the tall 

building opposite was the premises of the Isle 

of Man Banking Company. Many years later 

they pulled down the two shops alongside and 

erected new premises. The old one was for 

many years a showroom for the gas company 

but of recent times it has been a wine 

merchants. Notice how one shop is apparently 

boarded up on the left hand of the street. On the 

right a familiar group of shops. What is now 

Anderson’s Chemist at number 17 was the first 

office of Holme’s Bank of which Mr William 

Callister was the Ramsey representative before 

later becoming one of the prime movers and 

first director of the Isle of Man Banking 

Company Limited. This slide was donated to the 

library in June 1953 by Mr Sam Bennett of 

Queen’s Pier Road. (MNH/pic/3517) 

Two well known figures in the foreground, 

Major Stenning (better known as Canon 

Stenning) and Archdeacon Kewley. The 

question is whether the Archdeacon is wearing a 

sprig of St John’s Wort as once worn by all MHK’s 

around the brim of their hats or is he wearing 

Mugwort (Bollan Bane) as has wrongly become 

the habit of recent times. Behind them are 

members of King William’s College OTC. Canon 

Stenning was Second-Lieutenant when the corps 

was founded in 1911. During the period 1915-1916 he 

served as an instructor at Blandford and finally at 

the end of the First World War he was demobilising 

officer at Chelsea. During the war he held the rank 

of Captain and became a Major in 1925. In 1931 he 

was awarded the Territorial Decoration (TD) by His 

Majesty the King. The College Corps was the only 

armed force on the Island during peace times and 

was therefore used for ceremonial duties such as 

Tynwald Day which shows in this magic lantern 

slide. (MNH/pic/1756) 

Flash, bang, wallop what a picture – an 

air ship at King William’s College. 

This lantern slide was produced by 

Flatters and Garnet Ltd of Oxford Street, 

Manchester and was part of the collection 

of slides owned by the late Canon 

Stenning. The King William’s College 

centenary publication advises that during 

the First World War the Officers’ Training 

Corps supplied parties to assist at the 

landing of Naval airships on the college 

field. The same publication contains a view 

of the College taken from the air out of a 

naval ship in 1918. Whether this view is of 

the 1918 visit or an earlier one I cannot tell. 

I have been told that the SS Airship was 165 

feet long, powered by a Rolls-Royce Hawk 

engine with a maximum speed of 57.5mph a 

cruising speed of 42.6mph an endurance of 30 

hours and a crew of four. (MNH/pic/1742) 

Here is a chance for you to get your 

thinking cap on. This is a glass negative 

which has recently been given to the 

Manx Museum library. I could not place it 

when I viewed it as a negative and I still don’t 

know. The way the roof to the bay window had 

been executed separate from the main roof is 

the sort of thing that George Kay the architect 

did and examples can be found in both Ramsey 

and the south of the Island where he did a lot of 

work. At first I thought it may be the rear of 

Waterloo Road on the left of the picture but the 

old house on the right didn’t fit in. Then I 

looked at the stone on the left hand gable of the 

house in the foreground and came to the 

conclusion that it was square blocked limestone 

which points towards Castletown or Port St 

Mary. To the right there appears to be a post 

and wire fence running parallel with the stone 

wall suggesting a footpath. By now the land on 

either side of the house may be built upon but 

where is it? (MNH/gift/679)

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Another example of why the summers were 

so much hotter in great grandmother’s day. 

Fully clothed in black they sat on the beach. 

In the background the shops at the bottom of 

Broadway offering haircuts, shaving and 

photographs. Behind, the gable of the first house in 

Clarence Terrace supports a huge advertisement 

for Maxwell’s boarding house. The bunting and the 

flags on the lampstandards makes me wonder if this 

was at the time of the 1902 Coronation parade. Here 

is a real chance to study the clothing, not to mention 

the pram of the turn of the last century. 

(MNH /pic/817) 

Amove to Ramsey and 

South Shore and that 

corner known as “the 

nigger beach” on account of the 

blacked up minstrels. Another 

pram of the cart variety in the 

foreground between the two 

girls. The most interesting 

thing to me is the inclusion of a 

harp between the banjos. Later 

a small stage with cover was 

provided for the minstrels. 

(MNH/pic/818) 

To change the time scale a 

little I have selected this 

view in 1951 and entered in 

the Isle of Man Publicity Board 

annual photograph competition 

by E. Eivrys Jones of Old 

Colwyn. It was entitled 

‘Whitewashed Farm’ and was 

taken off the road from St John’s 

to Glen Helen. Can you identify 

the farm and how about the man? 


Ramsey during the Great Snow of 

1895 is a magic lantern slide given 

to the Manx Museum in 1957 by Sam 

Bennet of Ramsey. The snow is the 

greatest the Island had known, within a 24 

hour period as many inches of snow fell 

and then during the night the wind got up 

causing deep drifts which imprisoned 

people in their houses across the 

countryside. The view shows Waterloo 

Road which was laid out following a report 

recommending its construction which was 

written in 1835. On the right is Waterloo 

Road Chapel which was built for the 

Wesleyan Methodists during 1845. The first 

service was held on Tynwald Day in 1846 

with preachers from Londonderry, 

Congleton and Dublin as well as from the 

nearby Scotch Church which is now 

Quayle’s Hall. On the left is ’The Britannia’ 

which was built in 1847 for Dr Clucas and 

remained a doctor’s house until 1909 when it 

was licensed in the name of John Nelson. It 

was extended on the Peel Street side to 

provide extra dining room accommodation. 


Another view taken during the Great Snow 

of 1895; this shows soldiers from the 

barracks at Castletown engaged in 

digging a clear route from Castletown to 

Malew church. The glass slide was from the 

collection of Canon Spicer and was given to the 

Manx Museum library in 1952. A contemporary 

account of the snow tells that the whole of the 

Southern Railway line from Douglas to Port 

Erin was closed as the cuttings were deep and 

so full of snow that clearing them was an 

impossibility. Between Ballasalla and 

Castletown the drifts were 14 feet high. 

(MNH/pic/3454)

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Two females on a bridge and it 

just has to be a G. B. Cowen 

photograph. The title to this 

magic lantern slide is ‘Teasing’ 

presumably because one girl 

would not let the other cross the 

makeshift bridge over the mill 

race. The slide also has the words 

‘Glenfaba’ written on it. Can any 

reader pinpoint the exact spot 

where the photograph was taken? 


If you have not seen a similar 

view to this before then you 

may find it a little strange. It 

is Laxey but look no harbour wall 

and no boat park. In the centre of 

the picture the old bridge and in 

the foreground the area where 

the Laxey fair used to be held. 

Notice the writing on the roof of 

the Shore Hotel advertising as to 

the name of the hotel and the fact 

it is on Laxey beach. The Laxey 

River is guided between the two 

stone walls as it enters into the 

harbour. Many know that lead ore 

was exported from here having 

come out of the Laxey mines but 

one automatically thinks of Laxey 

as it is now with quay sides which 

would be ideal as a platform from 

which to load the ships. It’s worth a 

trip to Laxey to see which of these 

buildings still stand. This 

photograph was donated to the 

Manx Museum library several 

years ago by L. V. Gill. 


From the 1951 

Publicity 

B o a r d 

p h o t o g r a p h 

competition comes 

this lantern slide 

view taken in Peel. 

The narrow street is 

lined with traditional 

cottages and a small 

shop is in the centre 

of the picture. Are 

you the baby or the 

young girl or do you 

know who they are? 


Another magic lantern slide given by 

L. V. Gill which shows the market 

place in Ramsey from the quay side. 

Unusually there are no fish spread out on 

the ground for sale. On the ship there are 

trees cut out into poles but has the ship just 

arrived or is it about to sail? St Paul’s 

Church stands at the top of the square 

which was once a natural harbour. On the 

right is the Saddle Hotel, designed by J.T. 

Boyde the Ramsey architect who many years 

previously had worked in partnership with 

his brother as joiners. St Paul’s Church is 

easily recognisable even without the entrance 

porch of the 1920’s the church was originally a 

simple rectangular building but growing 

congregations necessitated enlargement. The 

north and south trancepts which cross the 

main building at right angles were added in 

1844. The Royal Oak on the left was originally a 

public house until the 1850s and then became 

dining rooms with their famous shilling 

dinners. (MNH/pic/3481) 

Douglas Head Railway 

it says on the head 

board on the car of the 

inclined railway. It was a 

case of one car up and one 

car down, the second car 

appears just on the right 

hand edge of the picture. The 

railway was the idea of 

Richard Maltby Broadbent 

who in 1893 was the 

entrepreneur of Groudle Glen 

and later the miniature 

railway through the glen. In 

1899 he promoted the idea of 

his short railway to take some 

of the thousands of visitors to 

Douglas Head after they had 

crossed the harbour on the 

steam ferry and then ascended 

to the various amusement 

stalls. Mr Broadbent lost out in 

the Dumbell’s bank crash of 

1900, he had to part with his 

Baillie Scott designed house, 

Ivydene, at Little Switzerland, 

but he managed to hang on to 

the Douglas Head Railway. 

(MNH/pic/843)

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Would you know where this is? 

The note on the side of the 

lantern slide says “St Patrick’s 

Well”. If it is, then you will find it on 

Peel Hill. ‘The Illustrated 

Encyclopedia of the Isle of Man’ states 

“also known as the Silver Well, it is on 

the western slope of the hill, North 

West of Corrin’s Tower. Tradition says 

that when St Patrick landed on a silver 

shod horse one of its shoes was caught 

and wrenched off in the rock and a 

spring of water gushed out to form a 

well”. The young girl holds a bunch of 

reeds in one hand but is she dropping 

something into the well with the other? 


Another glass negative given 

to the Manx Museum 

library following the start 

of this series shows an 

agricultural show at The Nunnery. 

Above the trees can be seen the 

boarding houses in Belmont Terrace 

and to the left of this are the various 

huts on the allotments where 

Hillside Avenue was later to be built. 


Why on earth did J. W. Birch of 

Bristol photograph the Peel 

Brickworks in the early 1950s? 

The reason doesn’t matter but the 

important thing is that he did for now 

we have a record of something that is 

no longer there. The brick kilns are set 

within a steel framed shelter with 

corrugated asbestos sheeting. I rather 

think that the plans were drawn up by T. 

H. Kennaugh the architect as he did 

work for Peel and Glenfaba brickworks 

and of Gellings Foundry in Douglas as 

they were all in the same ownership. In 

the background are the herring houses 

and the small chimney on the skyline 

belongs to the gasworks. It was linked to 

the plant in the valley below by a 

stoneclad pipe set at ground level on the 

steep embankment between them. In the 

foreground the Douglas to Peel railway 

line. (MNH/pic/3423) 

G. B. Cowen was the 

photographer of this 

photograph entitled ‘Glory 

Quayle’. She was a character in Hall 

Caine’s novel “The Manxman” and I 

rather think that there is an image 

of her in the Archibald Knox 

designed headstone of Hall Caine in 

Maughold churchyard. Who was 

Cowen’s model and how did he achieve 

the cloud effect in this very artistic 

view? (MNH/pic/809)

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One of the most 

recent views to be 

used in this series 

is a view of Peel power 

station taken by J. W. 

Birch of Bristol around 

1952. Peel Hill is in the 

background with the 

power station workers’ 

bungalows overlooking 

the River Neb and set 

between the power station 

and the oil tanks in this 

view. The power station 

became redundant when 

the new building was 

erected, in fact a 

condition of the planning 

approval for the new 

power station was that the 

old one should be pulled 

down when redundant. 

What happened? It wasn’t 

pulled down but instead a 

planning application was 

made to reclad it – 

whatever did we do before 

there was such a thing as 

a planning process? 


At first glance a ship 

launch, chimneys in 

the background it 

must be Ramsey but look 

again. On the skyline 

there are terraces of 

houses for this is Peel. 

Sections of wooden railing 

have been removed and 

large sections of timber 

laid to create a launching 

slipway down into the 

River Neb. The tall 

chimney on the right 

belongs to the brickworks 

which was founded in 1885 

to coincide with the erection 

of new guest houses and 

hotels in the Marine Parade. 

Ironically in order to build 

the brickyard bricks had to 

be imported and arrived on 

the ‘Importer’ under Captain 

Nelson in June 1885 having 

sailed from Dalbeatie. The 

chimney was 91 feet high and 

I wonder if it had the same 

outcry as the MEA chimney 

just over 100 years later. This 

view is one of a group of 

glass negatives given to the 

Museum of recent and are 

classified as being dated 1911- 

1912, does this help identify 

which ship is being launched? 


Presumably there is a tale to this 

photograph – why does the old lady 

appear to be crying? Has the young 

lad cut his knee? The location is Peel and 

ironically the stone wall was taken down and 

replaced by the railings. Of more recent 

years a stone wall has been built to replace 

the railings and keep the sand and tide at 

bay. The photograph was taken by Mr 

Henderson, Photographer Royal, and it 

shows his grandson William Gray and his 

mother Mrs T. I. Gray beside him. The older 

lady is her mother, Mrs A. L. Henderson, wife 

of the photographer. (MNH/pic/831) 

Port Skillion below Douglas Head 

lighthouse is the location of this close 

up view whereas most views of the 

baths are taken from a distance to show the 

general lie of the land. The baths were the 

promotion of Mr Archer who had walls built 

across the little creek which trapped the tide 

when it came in. The next high tide cleared 

out the pool and left a fresh supply of sea 

water for bathers. To start with the baths 

were a male only affair and the lads got 

changed behind the rocks. Later dressing 

cubicles were built and then these were made 

two storey when the baths had become used by 

mixed sexes. Notice the railings to the right to 

keep users away from the rock edge and notice 

also the markers to tell the depth of the pool in 

various places. Open air baths like his cropped 

up around the Island; Peel, Port Erin, Ramsey, 

Perwick Bay and one was proposed for Fort 

Island. (MNH/pic/816) 

Is the young lady shy of the camera as she 

looks away yet still holding on to the young 

lad? Notice the rear legs of the bench 

stepping down behind the raised concrete 

plinth on which it stands – not much use for 

anywhere else. Across the road there are two 

steps up from the road to the pavement. In the 

background the guest houses are no more than 

25 years old. Some of the house names are still 

with us, others have been changed or lost due to 

amalgamation. The plots were sold subject to 

covenants, firstly the plans had to be approved by 

Christopher Obree Ellison the architectural 

engineer of Liverpool whose scheme was finally 

selected in the construction of Loch Parade. The 

window sills and heads, together with the string 

courses had to run in line and the properties had to 

be stone coloured. Stone comes in many colours 

and for several years the Villiers Hotel was painted 

in terracotta (sandstone?). (MNH/pic/829)

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This magic lantern slide was once in the 

possession of Canon Spicer of Malew who died 

in 1919. The slide was one of many given to the 

Manx Museum by Mrs Riggall in 1951. The title on 

the slide is Hango Hill Farm although the property 

in the foreground was more commonly known as 

Mother Schofield’s Cottage and was demolished in 

1911. Note the thatched cottage behind it. Next 

comes a stackyard and then another complex of 

thatched buildings and a tall building, Ballagilley 

but known as the Big Cellar on account of the cellar 

under the building. The properties belonged to King 

William’s College (The Big Cellar since 1933) and 

between Mother Schofield’s at Hango Hill they 

erected their indoor rifle range in a corrugated iron 

building. (MNH/pic/3429) 

One could be tempted to say it hasn’t changed 

but it has. This lantern slide is one of those 

given years ago by Mrs Riggall and came 

from Canon Spicer’s collection. On the left is the 

George Hotel with planters outside the front door. 

There is also planting on the balcony and at the top 

of the flat roofs to the bay windows. Between the Isle 

of Man Bank and the Barracks is a yard into which 

the Lloyds TSB building was erected within the past 

quarter of a century. Notice the tree planting on 

either side of the square in the roadway rather than 

in the footpath. On the right is the building which is 

now Barclays Bank but was built as an assembly room 

on the first floor with an open butcher’s market (or 

shambles) on the ground floor with all the arches 

extending to the ground level as a series of arcading. 

In the centre of the picture the building that 

successfully links Malew Street and Arbory Street. 

Many will recall this as Collister’s grocers and tea 

stores. Note the traditional form of concrete pavements 

and macadam streets – no paving blocks and imitation 

cobble stones, and no bollards! (MNH/pic/3433). 

This view has been taken from a 

glass negative which has 

recently been given to the 

Manx Museum library to add to its 

vast treasurehouse of images of the 

Island since photography began. 

The inscription scratched onto the 

negative not only tells us the year 

but also the fact that the hulk of a 

ship berthed alongside the North 

Quay was a convict ship. She didn’t 

hold convicts here in Douglas but she 

had been used as a prison ship in 

Melbourne Harbour in 1853. She was 

called ‘Success’ and she was fitted out 

as an exhibition of her use with figures 

in irons and exhibition pieces such as 

the cat-o-nine -tails, sample cells, etc. 

She arrived at Douglas in 1911 and was 

set up with large advertising boards 

saying that she was the “World’s most 

remarkable vessel” . . . “visited by 

royalty”. From 1922 she toured America 

but was eventually destroyed by fire in 

1946 – 106 years old. (MNH/gift/679) 

Another G. B. Cowen view and another 

recent gift. This time it is a magic lantern 

slide and it bears the title “Two girls on the 

Claddagh Road”. It is a view I have seen before and 

shows Cronk Sumark in the background. A pair of 

thatched cottages nearer to the camera were 

occupied by Jim Corlett on the left and Billy Pie on 

the right I rather think there was a fire in Jim’s 

house but perhaps there is a reader who can tell 

exactly what happened. (MNH/gift/679) 

Another recent gift of a 

photographic negative and again 

taken in 1912 showing the end of 

the Victoria Pier. I have included this 

view because of what was on the end of 

the pier. A step ladder lies against a 

navigational light. I wonder if the metal 

lattice work alongside was some form of 

signalling to tell captains of approaching 

ships which side of the pier they were to 

head for berthing? The piece of equipment 

that tricked me is between the stepladder 

and the sign by the railings – a megaphone 

on a stand . . . “Come in Ben-my-Chree your 

time is up!” (MNH/gift/679)

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The first plane to arrive 

in the Island came by 

boat, in fact there 

were two of them and the 

year was 1911. As part of 

the Coronation celebrations 

it was agreed to bring 

Claude Graham-White and 

George Barnes to the 

Island for them to race with 

the Ben-My-Chree in a 

round the Island race. The 

airfield used was Noble’s 

Park which was also used 

by Gustave Hamel the 

following year. Both visits 

were promoted by the Daily 

Mail newspaper. In July 1914 

it was part of the carnival 

celebrations in Douglas that 

saw the arrival of two planes, 

Mr Salmet’s Bleriot and an 

Avro float plane. The Bleriot 

paid a visit to King William’s 

College where Mr Salmet was 

able to converse with the 

French language masters. 

This could be the occasion of 

this view having been taken 

by Canon Stenning on the 

playing fields at King 

William’s College. The 

school OTC stand on guard. 


This view was taken in 1948 and given to the Manx 

Museum library in 1960 by D. Craine. It has been 

catalogued as ‘The Mansion, back lane, Ramsey’. 

Thanks to Constance Radcliffe’s book “Shining by the 

Sea”, I realise that this should be Bark Lane which was 

previously known as Edward Street and then Corran’s 

Lane. It ran from Church Street to Strand Street in an 

area that was swept away to provide a site for Queens 

Court, Kings Court and the other promenade 

developments. Unfortunately, whoever wrote the label on 

the slide was mistaken for this wasn’t ‘The Mansion’, this 

was the ‘Tannery’ house at one time occupied by the 

Corran family and later the Nelsons. It is architectually 

rather strange with those semi-circular drip mouldings on 

the Georgian facade. The corbels either side of the large 

window and front door probably supported a shop sign. The 

two nearest to the camera appear to be either side of a 

blocked up doorway. (MNH/pic/3589) 

Canon Stenning was an 

assistant master at 

King William’s College 

from 1909 to 1944 when he 

became vice-principal, an 

office he held until 1953. He 

obtained a MA degree at 

Downing College at 

Cambridge and at King 

William’s College was a 

Lieutenant with the OTC 

(Officers Training Corps) 

later rising to Major. The 

OTC was established at 

KWC in 1911 with two 

platoons. There were 98 

cadets, the Sergeant-Major 

being student Hon N. F. 

Somerset, the son of the 

Lieutenant-Governor Lord 

Raglan. This view from 

Canon Stenning’s collection 

shows a group of lads in the 

OTC on the Manx train but 

can any reader say at what 

station? (MNH/pic1750) 

‘ 

Come to the cookhouse door boys’. This view 

taken on the undeveloped land at The Mooragh, 

Ramsey shows men from the 5th Lancashire 

Artillery Volunteers who regularly camped here 

from around 1890 onwards. Usual views of camps are 

of virtual villages of canvas at Milntown and along 

the Lezayre Road. The development of Mooragh 

Park was commissioned in 1886, the same year that 

the Queen’s Pier opened, and the official opening of 

the Promenade took place in August 1887. Plots 

were sold and hotels were designed by George Kay 

the architect for many of the purchasers. A swing 

bridge was to be provided to link this new part of the 

town with the route to the pier and landing stage. 

There were many problems with the construction of 

the bridge and this greatly affected the sale of the 

plots and indeed the viability of those premises which 

were completed. (MNH/pic/819) 

We move north for this lantern slide view taken by 

George Cowen the Ramsey photographer. The 

location is the Curragh and I am told the two 

slate gate pillars are still standing on the road that 

goes past the back of the Wildlife Park. Perhaps there 

is a reader who can identify the exact spot? 

(MNH/pic/3527)

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Another lantern slide given 

to the library (which was 

once dedicated to that 

great Manx historian, A. W. 

Moore) by Mr Craine in 1960. It 

has the title ‘Saltworks Pump 

House’. The location is the 

Point of Ayre and the small 

lighthouse which stands on the 

beach is just visible on the 

right hand edge. The Manx Salt 

and Alkali Company Ltd was 

formed in 1902 with a saltworks 

in Ramsey and a pipeline which 

brought the brine from an 

underground lake near the Point 

of Ayre. The saltworks were on 

the site of the shipyard at 

Ramsey. The buildings were 

taken over by the Harbour 

Board in 1956 and the two tall 

chimneys which were a feature 

of Ramsey for over 50 years 

were demolished in 1957. Despite 

the derelict state of this building 

it is interesting to note smoke 

coming out of the chimney. 


The Douglas Head 

ferry but not one 

of those broad flat 

boats (The Rose, 

Thistle, Shamrock) 

which we tend to 

associate with the ferry 

that travelled from the 

Victoria Pier to the 

Battery Pier. The 

Lancashire Lass had 

started life as a steam 

tug but was altered to 

become a ferry boat. 

The empty boat 

alongside 

the 

breakwater is either the 

Jingo or Sambo which 

were owned by the Knox 

family of engineers (yes, 

Archie Knox’s father and 

brothers). The Knox’s 

were very clever 

engineers who had their 

own designs for many 

things to do with fishing 

boats and the likes. They 

also designed and made a 

change sorting and 

counting machine for use 

with the takings from the 

ferry. (MNH/pic/820) 

Another G. B. Cowen 

photograph which, 

according to the 

label on the side of the 

lantern slide, is taken at 

Ballaugh. The Cowen 

trademark of two girls on a 

bridge but not the usual 

fair Manx maids in their 

teens or twenties that he 

posed so often in his 

pictures. A collection of 

conical haystacks in the 

field by the gate but 

whereabouts in Ballaugh is 

it? (MNH/pic/3535) 

Acase of early recycling for this view of the twin 

cars of the inclined railing of Port Soderick 

shows us what used to be the means of access to 

the Falcon Cliff Hotel and the adjoining pavilion. The 

complex was bought by the newly formed Palace and 

Derby Castle company but was closed down to 

concentrate business in those other two ventures. The 

pavilion was taken down (sorry I don’t know what 

happened to it) and the inclined railing which ran down 

from the eastern corner of the hotel to a castellated 

entrance between the hotels of Palace Terrace made its 

way to Port Soderick. Here it provided a link between the 

Southern Electric Railway and the refreshment rooms, 

hotel and amusements at the promenade level. The white 

painted wall on the left of the picture is still there today 

and it helps to identify the location of the railway. The 

advertisements are for the Victoria Cafe on the Victoria 

Pier; McCutcheons the grocers of Strand Street and for 

Clinch’s Ales. (MNH/pic/836) 

The road to Peel with Greeba Castle and 

Greeba Towers in the trees. The folktale is 

that the owner of Greeba Castle lost the 

property in a game of cards but built Greeba 

Towers in front of his former property to block the 

view of the new owner. There is truth in the fact that 

the owner of the castle did build the Towers and he 

did have money troubles as the coroner had 

arrested some of his property but the game of cards 

could be a case of folktale according to coach 

drivers. Greeba Castle was at one time used as a 

school but it is most famous for being the home of Hall 

Caine the Victorian author. He had at one time been in 

the office of an architect/builder in Liverpool and he 

redesigned the internal layout of the property as well 

as replacing the front door with a bay window, adding 

an Italian style piazza and turning a whole room into 

an entrance hall complete with bog oak beams and 

fittings. (MNH/pic/835)

m - Isle of Man Today

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