14 EXAMINER www.iomtoday.co.im Tuesday, February 5, 2019 BUILDINGS AT RISK Thomas Brine’s legacy: a jail, courthouses and churches In this week’s Building at Risk, Frank Cowin looks at the second of the three Bishop Ward- era church architects, Thomas Brine, who is better known for his work for the Duke of Atholl and some of the island’s larger houses.

homas Brine came to the is- land in about 1810 as clerk of works to the Barracks Office and produced plans for, Tand supervised, the work of turning into the island’s prison. This work included putting in ‘the prison staircase’ to give good access to all the main ar- eas of the castle and also the installation of the slate slab floors and ceiling which are such a feature of the building. Also included were re- pairs to roofs, floors and the provision of extra toilet facili- ties, and a house for the head gaoler. Only one section of his prison period timber floor survives, in part of the small side room off the ‘prison stair- case’ at first floor level. Being a prison floor meant that no nails could be used, and so boards were pegged to the joists instead. Most of the additional toi- lets have gone and the gaoler’s house demolished. Brine was careful to detail the door heads to match the original but in a slightly differ- ent material – a man ahead of Three of Thomas Brine’s Castletown buildings – on the left the former George/Barracks; centre Brine’s office; right the Market Hall and Assembly Room his time. Armitage Rigby, some The Duke as manorial lord was 80 years later returning the responsible for much of the in- building to its original form, frastructure, and so Brine was also left evidence of anything involved with places like the he changed. Old building In 1813 when designing the and with court houses at Peel requested navigation marks and Kirk Michael. for Langness (now known Designs for all of these had as the Herring Tower) and already been prepared for the on Douglas Head now form- Duke by George Steuart, Brine ing the central feature of the amended theses designs but apartment block and prior to followed the overall appear- that, the Hotel (see Buildings ance of them fairly closely. at Risk of May 23, 2017) he fol- The Kirk Michael Court- lowed very closely the design house is being allowed to con- of the ‘Irish’ round tower on St tinue to deteriorate despite it Patrick’s Isle, Peel. being on the Protected Build- He produced drawings for ings Register (see Buildings at munitions stores and gun bat- Risk of February 14, 2017). Original Castletown Lifeboat House Old House of Keys, Castletown teries on Douglas Head and at Gob-ny-Rona (Port e Vullen, rine also designed Maughold). the Records Of- as well as St Mary’s Catho- Malew Street into the Square, the replacement George Hotel Having been Castletown When his work for the fice, which stood lic Church in Bowling Green and turning the corner into when the previous George had Town Hall, then offices, and military here was at an end in on the plot oppo- Road, Castletown. Arbory Street, he designed become beyond repair. now a coffee shop and fitness 1815 he was to be posted else- site the current A number of houses on the and built the former Callis- The previous George had centre, it still survives. where, but he resigned from Bus Station on Lord Street. north side of The Parade near ter’s Grocery Shop, now a originally been the Governor’s The sale of Brine’s George The Barracks Office as he had BAfter a second storey was to St Mary’s are thought to chemists. House, and at least part of it Hotel and its conversion into developed such a big private added to the Records Of- have been designed by Brine. Its shallowly bowed front shows on one of Daniel King’s the Barracks led to the erec- practice here. fice it became Douglas Town His work also included the becoming flat at the corners drawings of 1651. tion of the present John Welch Much of his ‘private’ work Hall, the Customs House, and Castletown Market Hall and echoes the end wall of St Brine’s George Hotel was designed George Hotel on the was for the Duke of Atholl, for later still briefly known as Assembly Room (now Barclays Mary’s facing down Queen sold when the Duke of Atholl nearby plot. whom George Steuart – a Scot- Seneschal House, but is now Bank) on the site of the Baby Street. It was to this corner finally severed his connec- Lorne House was altered tish architect – had designed demolished. Tower of the Castle which had building Thomas Brine moved tions with the island, and and extended by Brine, hav- the Castle Mona as the Ducal Brine also designed St controlled the outer postern his offices. became the Barracks for the ing possibly been designed by Mansion, the Red Pier, and al- Mary’s Anglican Church gate. On this part of Castletown Army troops stationed in George Steuart (see Buildings so the Courthouse at Ramsey. Castletown (now offices) Across the junction of Market Place, Brine designed Castletown. at Risk of February 28, 2017). Tuesday, February 5, 2019 www.iomtoday.co.im ISLE OF MAN EXAMINER 15 BUILDINGS AT RISK

Kirk Michael Courthouse (2017)

Old Courthouse, Peel

St Mary’s Anglican Church Castletown, with original octagonal turret atop the tower

Columns by Thomas Brine - left St Mary’s Anglican Church, Castletown; Milntown, library to the right of the front door Douglas Customs House, formerly the Records (or Rolls) office centre Lorne House; right St Mary’s Catholic Church, Castletown

The ‘Brine’ cluster col- pecially the decorative tower which formed the library with be built in the situation al- from jumping into the sea; tell- umns are used at Lorne House which has similarities to the its crenellating and the detail ready marked out, and now ing them that they were safe as they are at the two St Mary’s tower, in its original form, of of the fireplace speak of his approved of by the Lieut-Gov- on board and would be able to churches. St Mary’s Anglican Church at design, not to mention the ernor; and also that a Truck be get ashore safely when the tide Brine designed Beach Castletown. fact that in 1840 his daughter constructed under the direc- went out. House, Douglas Street, Castle- Unfortunately the octago- married the son of tion of Mr Brine.’ The ship was later refloat- town for a Deemster who un- nal turreted top at Castletown Christian of Milntown. That Lifeboat House abut- ed on December 22 and saved. fortunately died before its had to be removed at the start The fireplace in Milntown ted the Castle Gate House to Brine along with Messrs completion. of the 20th century when it Library is similar to one in the the north of the ‘Glue Pot’, and Quirk and Carrington were This property stands on was said to sway in gale force library at the Nunnery, Doug- was later demolished and re- awarded the Silver Gallantry land originally part of the winds. las, where Brine may have placed with one on the outer Medal of the RNLI. Lorne House estate. A Lieutenant Black and been responsible for some of harbour. His maritime activities Having bought part of the Thomas Brine are reported to the alterations and extensions Brine also had a ‘side line’ not only brought him a medal Lord’s Garden, Brine built the having broken ribs when their to the building originally de- as agent for Lloyd’s insurance but were also the cause of his larger houses at the Arbory two-wheeled gig overturned signed by John Pinch junior and in this role he supple- death. Street end of what is now The returning from Mount Gawne of Bath. mented the crew of the Castle- As Lloyd’s agent he was on- Crofts and his widow occu- in February 1827. In Ramsey, Thomas Brine town lifeboat on December 7, board the barque ‘Kingston’ pied one of these after Thom- The report goes to record designed St Paul’s Church in 1828 when they launched to at- of Liverpool when it became as died. that ‘a great number of acci- 1822, but this building has tend the wooden steam packet stranded at Port St Mary in Au- It is suggested that Brine dents with that sort of vehicle, since been altered and extend- ‘Earl of Roden’ which had been gust 1838 and was seriously in- had undertaken work to the and four-wheeled chairs were ed by many others, including Douglas Head Herring tower driven onto the rocks at Der- jured, and died as a result of house at Kentraugh but the much safer’. John Welch. byhaven. these injuries on January 28, decorative work and the detail Elsewhere in the island his tion of Life from Shipwreck – Along with George Quirk, 1840. of the columns appears closer work seems to have included homas Brine later simplified in 1854 to the Water Bailiff, and William His son, also Thomas, to that of George Steuart than Woodbourne House, now was a member of Royal National Lifeboat Insti- Henry Carrington, Comptrol- was immediately appointed that of Brine. part of the Douglas Masonic the Castletown tute (RNLI). ler of Customs, he was able to Lloyd’s agent in his father’s Brine, however, is thought Hall which has recently been Committee of the The Castletown Commit- stop a large number of pas- place, and also continued the to have been responsible for renovated. Royal National tee at their meeting in May sengers from rioting and fir- family connection with the work at the outbuildings es- An extension at Milntown TInstitution for the Preserva- 1826 instructed: ‘That a shed ing weapons into the air and RNLI.