Douglas
From ManxWiki
Douglas is the capital of the Isle of Man and its largest town. It is the Island's hub for business, finance, shipping, transport, shopping and entertainment. It is also home of the Isle of Man Government.
Contents |
History
The discovery of a bronze weapon in central Douglas, and the large Ballaquayle Viking treasure hoard on the outskirts, both in the 1890s, hint at the early importance of the site now occupied by Douglas.
The initial growth and development of the town owed much to its natural harbour (now the Inner Harbour), since greatly expanded and improved. The burgeoning 'Running Trade' (smuggling) from 1670 to 1765 gave a stimulus for the town to expand. There were later phases of prosperity, the first due to the low cost of living, and favourable legal status enjoyed by English debtors and half pay officers. Later, from around 1870 onwards, the town was transformed into a leading holiday resort and is now home to the Island's offshore financial services industry.
As the population increased the town started to grow away from the harbour, an example of this can be seen when viewing old maps of the town that show the Castle Mona standing alone on the waterfront and accessed by a driveway from Broadway, whereas now it is completely surrounded with homes and hotels on either side and above the rock face behind, as well as the promenade which now places the building some 80 metres from the sea.
Douglas has been capital of the Isle of Man since 1863, an honour previously held by Castletown, a smaller town in the south of the Island. The Victorian and later modernisation of the town was achieved at the expense of the original maze-like layout of the oldest streets. These were cleared away in the new street schemes and slum clearances of the 1870s to 1920s. In the absence of any archaeological data, it is possible that the origins of the town may be revealed by analysis of the original street and plot pattern.
Tynwald, the Manx Parliament, meets in Douglas (except on Tynwald Day, when it instead meets on Tynwald Hill in St. John's - a small village near the west coast of the island).
During World War I and World War II, Douglas and other parts of the Isle of Man were home to internment camps for 'enemy aliens'. A section of the Promenade was cordoned off and many guest houses were used for this purpose.
Douglas is scheduled to host the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games.
Geography
Douglas is situated on the east of the island near the confluence point of two rivers, the River Dhoo and the River Glass. At Douglas, the rivers flows between North Quay and South Quay and into Douglas Bay. A gently sloping valley runs inland. Hills lie to the north-west and south-east.
The town is surrounded by several other smaller towns and villages, most notably Onchan to the north (which forms a conurbation with Douglas) and Union Mills to the west.
Demography
Douglas has a population of 26,218 according to the 2006 census report (2001 25,347), which is almost one-third of the island's entire population.
Places of Interest
Douglas has a number of attractions and items of interest:
- The Tower of Refuge is a small castle like shelter built upon Conister Rock in Douglas Bay as a sanctuary for shipwrecked sailors. Construction was instigated by Sir William Hillary, founder of the RNLI.
- Douglas Head is home to the Camera Obscura which has recently undergone restoration and is open to the public during the summer months. Other artefacts and remnants of Victorian Tourism can still be found on walks around the area.
- The horse-drawn trams that run along the promenade from the Sea Terminal to the Manx Electric Railway station from spring to early autumn.
- Steam trains run 15 miles from Douglas railway station to Port Erin in the south of the Island.
- The Grandstand on Glencrutchery Road marks the start and finish of the annual TT Races and various other motorsports.
- The Gaiety Theatre and the Villa Marina are popular venues for all manner of stage acts - from rock music to comedy to drama to ballet. The Gaiety Theatre is one of the best surviving examples of the work of Frank Matcham and dates from 1900. Both venues have recently undergone extensive renovations.
- The award-winning Manx Museum in Kingswood Grove is a treasure house which contains many of the most important cultural artefacts relating to the Manx nation. Some of the highlights include the Calf of Man Crucifixion Stone, the Pagan Lady's necklace from the Viking excavations at Peel Castle, and the largest collection of Archibald Knox materials. It also houses the National Art Collection, and the National Archives.
- The Jubilee clock is a street clock built in 1887 in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign. It is located at the junction of Victoria Street and Loch Promenade. The location also marks one terminus of the Upper Douglas Cable Tramway
- The Isola restaurant in John Street, and the Douglas Hotel on the North Quay, both merchants' houses from the mid-eighteenth century.
- The Castle Mona, a magnificent seaside mansion built by John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl in 1804, currently awaiting refurbishment
- Loch Promenade, a magnificent curving terrace of former boarding houses dating from the 1870s. Douglas is becoming increasingly renowned as it saw the first architectural essays of the Arts and Crafts architect Baillie Scott.
- The breakwater extension which was completed in 1983 was opened by Princess Alexandra and built outside the existing smaller one, which carried a rail-mounted crane
- The Sunken Gardens on Loch Promenade were created as a result of the widening of the promenade at the turn of the twentieth century.
References
- Manxnotebook - Douglas with full description of the town-parish
- Isle of Man Building Control Districts showing parish boundaries
- Isle of Man Census Report 2006
