Thursday 19th September 2019, Isle of Man
Today was dedicated to Douglas. It proved to be a rather frustrating day. There were three things that had to be done. The first was to top up with money which we achieved at the Manx Bank in Douglas which replenished our supply of island banknotes. The second was to find a library where Ian could catch up with emails following the demise of his laptop - also achieved through a very friendly librarian in the central public library who found a free terminal for him. The third was to obtain a Go Explore card for one day which would allow travel not only on the buses but on the five heritage railways - electric, steam and horsedrawn. The ticketing section of the Isle of Man, Bus Vannin journey planner booklet implied that these cards were only on sale at a limited number of outlets but when we finally located one of them at the ferry port they told us that paper tickets could be purchased from the bus driver anyway. This unnecessary mooching around rather dampened our enthusiasm for Douglas which, although by far the largest town in the island, has relatively little to offer in the way of charm. This can in part be explained by the fact that until the late 19th century it was little more than a fishing port, playing second fiddle to the historic centres in Castletown, Peel and Ramsay.
Douglas. Isle of Man.
It was the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria which seemed to give the stimulus to development, 1887 being the date on the elaborate cast-iron clock and the date that the promenade was inaugurated. The long promenade with its lofty late Victorian hotels, marred by an intrusive modern church, was being dug up, but we were delighted by the carefully restored Gaiety Theatre and opera House, a product of the renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham and the Villa Marina, once an opulent private residence but now a lavish entertainment centre, complete with gilt chairs and a stage that has been graced by a range of celebs whose portraits lined the carpeted corridors. The government offices with the three meeting rooms of the Tynwald legislature, claimed as the oldest parliament in the world, are also in Douglas although, in true Viking style, the annual Tynwald assembly when all the laws enacted that year are read out in English and Manx is held in an open field between Douglas and Peel.
Douglas. Isle of Man.
Douglas. Isle of Man.
Douglas. Isle of Man
Douglas. Isle of Man
There is a lengthy pedestrianised main shopping street where we were able to ascertain where the island's branches of all the mainland chainstores were located. The wonderful Manx Museum - the only really unmissable site in Douglas - is approached rather inauspiciously by means of a lift to the 8th deck of a multi-story car park, through the assembled parked cars and then across a footbridge suspended over a gaping canyon. The late Victorian building with its neo-Viking style decorative plaques was worth the struggle, telling the whole story of the islands from the first settlers about 10,000 years ago through the Bronze Age, the Celts, the Vikings who ruled the kingdom of Mann and the Isles until 1256, the feudal lords of the later middle ages, the upheaval of the Civil Wars, the transfer to the English crown in 1756, the decline of the Manx language, poverty, emigration, mining, the arrival of tourism in the late 19th century, the TT motorcycle races and the post-war rise of the international offshore financial enterprises. This fast forward through Manx history shows that the islanders can say with impunity "What have the Romans ever done for us?" because they never got that far. The building also houses the national library and archives, although we did not have time to visit these.
Museum, Douglas. Isle of Man.
Museum, Douglas. Isle of Man.
Museum, Douglas. Isle of Man.
Museum, Douglas. Isle of Man.
Museum, Douglas. Isle of Man.
Manx coffee, Douglas. Isle of Man.
We discovered the older, more characterful area of the North Quay, along the banks of the River Dhoo when we were flagging towards the end of the day and could not summon up the energy to cross the swing bridge to see the camera obscura at the end of the South Quay.
Douglas. Isle of Man.
Douglas, Isle of Man,
One amusing incident at the start of the day; the campsite's bins were being emptied by a contractor whose lorry bore the strap-line "Our business is rubbish - but it's picking up". It made us laugh anyway.
