12 Photographs of the Isle of Man

These images were kindly given by Malcolm Lord who bought the small book containing them in Australia - no date is given and the title, like the images are pasted onto the paper leaves. The book has no text and would appear to be an upmarket souvenir book - photographs at this period were often sold for the buyer to paste them into a souvenir album, they were relatively expensive and designed to cater to the middle class tourist.

Somewhat surprisingly there are no images from the South of the Island -

Each image is numbered - a few have been published before (usually credited to Manx National Heritage) - that of Strathallan Lodge (titled Derby Castle) I have seen dated to 1892 in Hyde & Pearson's Isle of Man Tramways Album presumeably based on dating information from the MNH. However I believe the photos date from late 1870's to early 1880's (1878..1885) as discussed in the notes against each

	1567 - Douglas General View Shows in foreground the road to Douglas Head, then the Red Pier with the one-time Imperial Hotel at its foot, then the Victoria Pier and in middle distance the Tower of Refuge. The Imperial Hotel has no sign and a few of the widows have a notice stuck to then (unfortuneately unreadable) - by 1887 it had been taken over by the IoMSPCo as offices. The last reported tennant was c. 1881
	1569 - Douglas the Quay The Inner harbour beyond the double corner - the second building from the left is the Bridge Inn - beyond that nearly all buildings have been rebuilt
	1507 - Douglas Kirk Braddon [sic Braddan] Kirk Braddan and its graveyard was a magnet for photographers - in this photograph the graveyard looks very unkempt - it probably predates the appointment of a sexton as required by the 1881 Act.
	1517 - Douglas Derby Castle Actually Strathallan Lodge (now Terminus tavern) at entrance to the grounds of Derby Castle - a notice under the window states Refreshment Bar - Wines and Spririts. Derby Castle was acquired in 1877 by A.N. Laughton and a large Dance Hall built in its grounds. Judging from a later photograph the ornate arch was replaced by a castellated entrance with paydesk, thus the photo is likely to be c. 1877 and not 1892 as suggested by Hyde and Pearson.
	1555 - Peel Photographed from the Castle gatehouse - the roadway along the west quay has not been built and only the walkway exists along the breakwater used to extend the harbour. The 1876 Rocket house on the newly constructed Shore Road and the original Marine Hotel in Crown Street (burnt down in 1885) are visible.
	1559 - Peel St German's Cathedral There appears to be building material by the wall of the Cathedral and a small hoist to the perimeter road - this is possibly connected with the repair work done around 1877.
	1578 - Isle of Man: Bridge at Glen Helen The Bridge at Glen Helen was built c. 1869 to give access to a slate quarry.
	1581 - Isle of Man: Rhenass Falls, Glen Helen Apart from the rustic bridges the same today.
	1583 - Isle of Man: Ramsey I'm afraid the small image loses all important detail and needs the larger image on CD_ROM and the detailed plan of 1870's South Ramsey - the photograph predates the Southern Promenade and Queen's Pier (opened 1886), the terraced garden of Beach house can be seen, the Queen's Pier was built immediately behind this, thus the photo must date pre 1884 as no sign of construction is visble. The line of boats in the harbour are moored against the landing stage which was redundant once the Pier was opened.
	1542 - Ramsey: Ballure Glen Ballure Glen is just outside Ramsey
	1530 - Isle of Man: The Laxey Wheel Another classic subject for photographs - the Lady Isabella
	1533 - Isle of Man; Cloven Stones In Lonan - "Tumulus with chamber surrounded by a circle of stones, nearly complete less than a century ago" - Kermode Manx Antiquities, 1933