The Landmarks That Shape the Island's Distinctive Landscape

14 ISLE OF MAN EXAMINER www.iomtoday.co.im Tuesday, August 14, 2018 BUILDINGS AT RISK The landmarks that shape the island’s distinctive landscape

Frank Cowin, a Blue Badge Guide, shares his views on the buildings and structures of interest and importance in our landscape and their vary degrees of protection – or lack of protection.

hen guides are train- ing, the im- portance of TVPs and TPIs are stressed. WTVPs are Top Visual Points – those things that can be seen from that position and which could catch the attention and interest of those in the group; whereas TPIs are the Top Points of Interest in the area – things not necessarily in sight but which have a story to tell. King Orry’s Grave is obvi- ously a TVP if you are travel- ling by coach and have turned off the main Ramsey Road at Minorca to go over the Ballar- agh Road. It is clearly visible from the coach and, with luck, the coach may be able to loiter alongside it whilst being ready to move on if other traffic -ap pears. On other occasions with more specialist groups it would warrant a visit actually to the site. Continuing on the way to Ramsey via Maughold a small group of pine trees seen across the Ballaglass valley mark the site of Cashtal yn Ard, which then becomes a TPI espe- cially as King Orry’s Grave has already been seen and explained. Both King Orry’s Grave and Cashtal yn Ard – as Neolithic burial long barrows – are fully protected as ancient monu- ments, as is Lag ny Keilley on the steep seaward slope of Cronk ny Iree Lhaa. This ancient keeill and its surrounding burial site is only to be visited by the most intrepid and interested of visi- tors. The site, the view, and the experience of the journey Valerie Singleton filming for Blue Peter at the Snaefell Mine (1974) make it well worthwhile. Whilst not all can actu- concrete bunkers from the Railway to the Summit, of all we look across to what, after a Larger commercial kilns walking back home because ally visit Lag ny Keilley, it is an wartime Chain Home station the TVPs and TPIs visible, Lax- shower of rain, is to my mind can be found in public places there was no boat that day. important TPI as the site can there. ey Wheel is the only one with one of the most spectacular but especially at Scarlett, Der- The older of the sisters also be pointed out during a visit Three of these World War any formal protection. I am waterfalls to be seen on the byhaven, and The Point at Port recalled watching the proces- to the Niarbyl, or on the way Two Chain Home radar sta- pleased to say that a view point Island. St Mary. Fuel and limestone sion of horse-drawn carts car- from there towards the Round tions gave cover from the Isle for the Wheel is kept clear of was put in the kiln and fired, rying two-by-two the coffins Table. of Man for the Irish Sea area vegetation and the trams stop longside the resulting in quicklime for of the victims of the Snaefell It gives opportunity to talk and approaches to its ports there long enough for passen- track leading building purposes and for use Mine Disaster of 1897. about the Celtic Church and/ such as Liverpool. gers to enjoy the view. to the water- on the land. This tragic tale was re-told or tell some of the stories at- Positioned at Niarbyl, Bride Travelling up the val- fall and on to On the up-valley side of the by Valerie Singleton in 1974, tached to the site such as that and Scarlett they were later ley opens up views across to Snaefell Mines Waterfall are the remains of when the Blue Peter children’s of ‘being the chosen burial joined by a CHL (Chain Home where some of the lades (water can be seen a stone structure Laggan Agneash. television programme fea- place of some of the Irish Low) station on the Meayll Hill courses) serving the Wheel Awhich is in fact a small lime The late Misses Wood of tured as their dramatic story Kings’, or that recorded by above Cregneash. Very little of and other equipment at the kiln. Similar kilns can be seen Laxey told tales of moving the Snaefell mine disaster Sophia Morrison as ‘The Child the wartime structures, apart mines are visible along with at a number of places on the up there in summer months, with the loss of 20 lives due without a Name’ in her Manx from a few at RAF Jurby, have some of the extraordinar- island, including immediately tales which included visits to to an underground fire over a Fairy Tales. any formal protection towards ily wide and high stone walls alongside the road above Bal- family at Ballaugh with their weekend and the men being Also on the way to and from their long-term survival. enclosing the upper fields of lafayle Farm, Maughold and Father in the days before the overcome by carbon mon- Niarbyl there is an excellent Returning to Laxey and Ballacowle. alongside the ‘Gooseneck’ MER line to Ramsey – travel- oxide fumes as they climbed view of the earth-covered taking the Snaefell Mountain A little further up the valley road at The Hibernian. ling on the Fairy Queen and down the shaft on the Monday Tuesday, August 14, 2018 www.iomtoday.co.im ISLE OF MAN EXAMINER 15 BUILDINGS AT RISK

King Orry’s Grave, Laxey (1993)

Laggan Agneash, former summer home of the Misses Wood (1992)

Bridge on the Millenium Way between Snaefell and Beinn y Phott (1991)

Snaefell mine powder house (1997)

Limekiln at Laggan Agneash (1995) Grand field walls in the Laxey valley (1997

Pillbox at former RAF Jurby (2002)

Snaefell sheepfold walls (1991) Chain Home radar station at Dalby (app 1944) photo John Hall Laxey Wheel from MER (1993)

morning. est is the Powder House – the of a small number of simple structure with four straight ety of different cuts being used even more stories can surface, At the head of the Laxey explosives store – with its stone-arched bridges still to walls radiating out from it, to mark the differing owners and visits to various places Valley the Snaefell Mine itself double-walled construction be found in some of the upland making it look like a compass sheep. around the island would bring comes into view with remains and lightweight roof (now areas. It is a bridge of this type rose. The King’s Forester who to light other links to the past. from both the 19th and 20th gone) which meant that if which causes much excite- It is a sheep fold used for oversaw the Mountain Graz- Horse walks, bee boles, hen centuries. there was an accident inside, ment and comment every time rounding up the sheep that ing had a book with sheep-ear houses, smithies, gateposts, Reworking of the waste all the force of the explosion it appears when the water had been grazing on the com- shaped leaves and these had windmills, lazy beds, tholtans, heaps – ‘the deads’ – in the would be safely upwards and level at the Injebreck reservoir mon lands where in past times similar cuts to each with the monuments and memorials, 1950s using a cyanide extrac- not horizontal. drops as it has done at present. all the abutting farmers had a farmer’s name and address on thie vegs are just a few that tion process resulted in the Remains, or better, of some right to have their sheep. the back. could be explored. river and part of Laxey Bay be- others survive across the is- earby on the Consequently, every so This sheepfold too had its It would be a great pity if ing contaminated. land, not all of them in mining lower slopes often they had to rounded up turn in the television limelight these things, and so many The river took a long time areas. of Snaefell and and separated, especially soon when it featured to great ef- more, were allowed to disap- to recover and perhaps we Beyond the Bungalow, the therefore not after lambing so that the new- fect in the final episode of the pear because there was no may only consider that com- main view changes from being visible from the borns could be marked with BBC’s rather sinister detec- record of their importance or plete when the salmon return on the right to being on the left tram – but clearly seen from their owner’s mark. Whilst tive series ‘The Shadow Line’, means to ensure they were not to the river called by their and in the bottom of the valley Nthe Brandywell Road, or from we are used to seeing sheep much of which was filmed swept away without at least a name. can be seen the remains of a the edge of the Tholt-y-Will marked with dye, and more here on the island. consultation and that no pen- One building in the group wheel case from a mining trial. road immediately above it – recently ear tags, in these days As other groups of now der- alty exists if they are vandal- which is of particular inter- What cannot be seen is one is a large stone built circular the ears were ‘clipped’. A vari- elict buildings come into view ised.