Historic Buildings Architect/Surveyor Thornbank, Douglas: Architects rendering for restoration of Baillie-Scott House owned by MNH (Horncastle:Thomas) Information for Applicants Manx National Heritage Historic Buildings Architect/Surveyor Our Organisation Manx National Heritage (MNH) is the trading name given to the Manx Museum and National Trust. The Trust was constituted in 1886 with the purpose of creating a national museum of Manx heritage and culture and has grown steadily in scope and reach and it is now the Islands statutory heritage agency. MNH exists to take a lead in protecting, conserving, making accessible and celebrating the Island’s natural and cultural heritage for current and future generations whilst contributing to the Island’s prosperity and quality of life MNH is a small organisation sponsored but operating at arm’s length from the Isle of Man Government. Our small properties management team is responsible for thirteen principle sites of historic and landscape significance, an array of field monuments and around 3000 acres of land. MNH welcomes around 400,000 visits to its properties every year and is also home to the National Museum, the National Archives and the National Art Gallery. Our Vision, principles and values MNH’s vision is “Securing the Future of Our Past”. Underpinning this vision are key principles and values which guide everyone who works for the organisation as they conduct their core business and their decision-making. Being led by and responsive to our visitors and users Working in collaboration Being open and transparent Providing value for money Making the most of our assets Using evidence-led decision-making and feedback from our users Providing equality of access Promoting and using the Manx Language Preserving and promoting traditional skills Consulting with key stakeholders and our community on what we do Managing risk and being safe Aiming for continuous improvement and developing our team 1 | P a g e Manx National Heritage Historic Buildings Architect/Surveyor Purpose Our strategic purposes can be summarised as follows: Look after MMNT buildings and lands Look after MMNT collections Protect the Island’s wider heritage and landscape Increase access by users and visitors to Manx culture, landscape, heritage, and MMNT collections and information Understand and promote Manx culture, landscape and heritage Manage ourselves effectively The Role We are seeking an architect or building surveyor with a strong background in the conservation, repair and development of historic buildings and monuments who will share our vision and is passionate about a sustainable future for the historic built environment. Your professional skills and experience will ensure that the historic assets in the care of MNH are recorded, maintained and repaired and that projects of all sizes are delivered on time and on budget to the highest professional standards. You will advise, coach and inspire your colleagues while managing external consultants and contractors bringing them together into high performing teams. You will bring great interpersonal and leadership skills together with a genuine enthusiasm for promoting the conservation of the historic environment through public engagement, training and practical conservation activities. Knowledge of the Manx/UK planning system, relevant legislation and best practice is essential. Partnership working MNH is committed to improving how it manages and cares for historic environment. This often requires liaison with other organisations outside of MNH, including the relevant government departments and non-governmental organisations. MNH is increasingly enjoying the practical support and enthusiasm of volunteers in delivering its services and our aspiration is to continue to make more opportunities for our friends and supporters to make a tangible and personally rewarding contribution to our work. The following includes information on some of the unique sites that you can expect to work on if you are successful in applying for this role. 2 | P a g e Manx National Heritage Historic Buildings Architect/Surveyor Peel Castle As fascinating as it is beautiful, St Patrick’s Isle is one of the most important historic and religious sites in the British Isles. Located on the west coast of the Isle of Man, it is dominated by the sprawling ruins of Peel Castle, the first fortifications of which were built by King Magnus Barelegs of Norway in the 11th century. The Manx name for the town of Peel is Purt-ny-Hinshey, which means ‘Harbour of the Island’, the island being St Patrick’s. Tiny chips of flint, used to barb harpoons and arrows, tell us that the earliest known visitors to St Patrick’s Isle were nomadic hunter-gatherers during the Middle Stone (Mesolithic) Age, around 6000BC. Later visitors settled on the Isle, and on the northern end of Peel Hill a large area of blackened earth reveals one of the sites of their fires. There may well have been a similar settlement on the other side of the River Neb, where the town is today. Excavations within Peel Castle during the 1980s found post holes of circular dwellings, dating from between 650BC and 600AD. The Isle was first known by its Gaelic name, Inis-patrick (Patrick’s Isle), and the Norsemen called it Holm (island), Patricksholm and Holm-Patrick. 3 | P a g e Manx National Heritage Historic Buildings Architect/Surveyor A Celtic monastery was established on St Patrick’s Isle, most likely by followers of St Patrick from Ireland, with the earliest carved stone crosses found on the Isle dating from the 9th century. The Vikings settled the Isle of Man around 800, but another three centuries passed before the chieftain Magnus Barelegs built the first recorded fortification on St Patrick’s Isle. With the end of Viking rule in 1266, ownership of the Isle of Man – which was key to control of the Irish Sea – changed hands several times between England and Scotland, until the English finally won out after the Battle of Neville’s Cross near Durham in 1346. By this stage, St German’s Cathedral had been built within the Castle grounds and the Lords of Mann refortified St Patrick’s Isle during the 14th century, creating many of the walls and towers that are visible today. Peel Castle was the joint seat of Government (with Castle Rushen in the south of the Island) until the mid-17th century. The Cathedral was the seat of the Bishop of Sodor and Man, with the crypt below serving as an ecclesiastical prison. However, the Cathedral was allowed to decay and by 1824 the roof was gone and the building was beyond restoration. The Castle continued to perform a limited military function, with the last naval reserve battery located there in 1861. But the passage of time had done its damage. When the reserve battery closed in 1870, the condition of the buildings within the Curtain Wall led to the Castle being abandoned, leaving what we see today – a beautiful, atmospheric ruin, steeped in history. An extensive programme of masonry consolidation and conservation was undertaken by MNH in partnership with Bournemouth University under Professor John Ashurst during the 1990’s. The Historic Buildings Architect/Surveyor will be responsible for guiding the next phase of repairs. 4 | P a g e Manx National Heritage Historic Buildings Architect/Surveyor Laxey Wheel The Great Laxey Wheel is perhaps the Isle of Man’s single most iconic landmark. At 22 metres in diameter, this extraordinary example of Victorian engineering has brought tourists flocking to the idyllic village of Laxey over the last 150 years. Christened Lady Isabella after the wife of the Island’s Governor at the time, she began her working life in 1854. Today, she is the largest working waterwheel in the world. While it is easy to marvel at her beauty and that of the Glen Mooar Valley which is her home, the Lady is only the serene tip of the iceberg in a compelling story, which dates back 70 years before Isabella entered the imagination of engineer Robert Casement, the man who designed her. 5 | P a g e Manx National Heritage Historic Buildings Architect/Surveyor It is the story of the Great Laxey Mine, of the families whose lives were irrevocably changed once the first zinc ore was unearthed in the early 1780s. It is a story of great vision and great passion in a time of opportunity. But it’s also a story of disaster, of death and disease, of the hardship and gruelling conditions faced by the men, women and children who worked the mine during its lifetime or braved the long hours on the Washing Floors. In 1929, with its ore reserves expired, the Great Laxey Mine closed. The Lady Isabella, however, would endure, as would her story, and that of the mine and the close-knit community that built up around it. In December 1937, Edwin Kneale, a Laxey builder, agreed a 15-year lease with Williamson’s for the Laxey Wheel. Kneale was 32 at the time, and risked his livelihood to save Lady Isabella from demolition. When several of Williamson’s properties – including the Wheel – were put up for auction in October 1946, Kneale pulled some strings and bought Lady Isabella before the sale. She had been saved for the nation, and tourists continued to flock to see her. Kneale sold Lady Isabella to the Manx Government in 1965, and major repairs were undertaken over the next few winters until, on Sunday, 5th July 1970, the Laxey Wheel turned once more. The next two decades saw the derelict mine buildings designated as ancient monuments, with the area of Glen Mooar up as far as the Compressor House purchased from the landowner. This gave impetus to plans to interpret the area around the Laxey Wheel, which included the restoration of the flat rod on the rod duct, and reconnecting the T-rocker with Lady Isabella.