Ward & Lock's descriptive and pictorial guide to the Isle of Man ...

103 Guide to the Isle of Man.tlie Market Place. Genei'ally supposed, to be about tluceliuntlred years old, it was origiually intended as a cliape!-of-ease to St. German's Cathedral on the rock, witliiu thewalls of Peel Castle. Previous to the erection of the churchand the formation of a buryinj:^- ground around it, personsdying in Peel were interred in the cathedral, and there is atiadition that the erection of the present church is due to theeffect produced on the mind of a visitor by the upsetting in aviolent gale of the ferry boat, which was conveying a coflmand a party of mourners across the month of the harbour tothe Castle rock. The living people escaped, but the coffinwas driven out to sea and seen no more. The spectator ofthe catastrophe, an English gentleman, provided, it is said,the greater part of the funds for the erection of a chiu'ch intlie town. A new tower, seventy feet high, has been erectedat the west end of the church, for the reception of a publicclock presented in 1871 by a native of the town, estabhshedat Montreal, in Canada. A handsome stained-glass window,the gift of two ladies of Piamsej', has aided to greatly improvethe appearance of the old church. In 1883, a beautiful newCliurcli, of Early English design, with a handsome tower andlofty spire, was opened for public worship. It stands in thehighest part of the town (the entrance is from Athol Street),and is in consequence a prominent feature in the view of theplace. The fittings of the interior, which include a veryvaluable organ, are quite in keeping witJi the si:)lcndour ofthe edifice.In Athol Street, also, is the Weslcyan Centenary CImpel,first erected in 1839, and subsequently considerably enlarged.Opposite to the chapel is the Centenary Hall, iised as a publichall and a Sunday-school. The Primitive Methodist Chajjcl,in Christian Street, was built in 1878.Peel is remarkably well provided with the means of education.In 1052, Philip Christian, a native of the town, whohad settled in London and become a citizen of wealth andrepute, left all his projierty to the Clothworkers' Company, oncondition that they should pay the sum of i'20 yearly, toassist the education of the poor children of Peek In 1840,the company increased the annual grant to ^45, and in 1842a schoolhouse was erected and named Christianas EndoivedNational School; and now the company give i;200 a yearfor strictly educational piu'poses, and i'GO a year to advancethe interests of the children educated in the schools. In18G1, a fund left by Bishop Wilson in 1748 was applied tothe erection of a new schoolhousc, the older building being