Laxey is a village on the east coast of the
Isle of ManThe Isle of Man , or Mann , is a self-governing British Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Britain and Ireland. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Crown is represented by a Lieutenant Governor...
. Its name derives from the
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
Laxa meaning 'Salmon River'.
The village lies on the
A2The A2 road or Ramsey Coast Road in the Isle of Man is a primary road which connects Douglas on the east of the island with Ramsey in the north....
, the main
Douglasright|thumb|250px|Loch Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...
to
RamseyRamsey is a town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,309 according to the 2006 census . It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of...
road. Laxey Glen is one of the
The 17 National Manx GlensThe 17 National Manx Glens are the officially adopted glens situated throughout the Isle of Man. The island country is renowned for its natural beauty and its "pocket sized" scenic natural glens....
, with Dhoon Glen being located close by. The
Raad ny Foillan is a long distance footpath in the Isle of Man.-Route and history:The starts and finishes at the Millennium Bridge over Douglas Harbour...
long distance coastal footpathLong-distance trails are the longer recreational right-of-way routes mainly through rural areas, used for non-motorised recreational travelling ....
, opened in 1986, runs along the coast through the village.
In the 1800s,
miningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash...
for
leadLead is a main-group element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metals. Lead has a bluish-white color when freshly cut, but tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed to air...
and
zincZinc , also known as spelter, is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
began, becoming the largest industry the village has had.
Laxey is a village on the east coast of the
Isle of ManThe Isle of Man , or Mann , is a self-governing British Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Britain and Ireland. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Crown is represented by a Lieutenant Governor...
. Its name derives from the
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
Laxa meaning 'Salmon River'.
The village lies on the
A2The A2 road or Ramsey Coast Road in the Isle of Man is a primary road which connects Douglas on the east of the island with Ramsey in the north....
, the main
Douglasright|thumb|250px|Loch Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...
to
RamseyRamsey is a town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,309 according to the 2006 census . It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of...
road. Laxey Glen is one of the
The 17 National Manx GlensThe 17 National Manx Glens are the officially adopted glens situated throughout the Isle of Man. The island country is renowned for its natural beauty and its "pocket sized" scenic natural glens....
, with Dhoon Glen being located close by. The
Raad ny Foillan is a long distance footpath in the Isle of Man.-Route and history:The starts and finishes at the Millennium Bridge over Douglas Harbour...
long distance coastal footpathLong-distance trails are the longer recreational right-of-way routes mainly through rural areas, used for non-motorised recreational travelling ....
, opened in 1986, runs along the coast through the village.
Village history
In the 1800s,
miningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash...
for
leadLead is a main-group element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metals. Lead has a bluish-white color when freshly cut, but tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed to air...
and
zincZinc , also known as spelter, is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
began, becoming the largest industry the village has had. The Laxey mines were the deepest in the world in the 1800s. Mining in Laxey came to an end 75 years later in 1929. The village also had a fishing industry.
Laxey village is now a mainly residential and a tourist area boasting several gardens to wander in at leisure, primarily Laxey Glen Gardens. There is also a handweaving mill which sells its own and many other products. The village is built around a glen with a number of steep streets and paths leading to the glen floor, from where it is possible to walk by the side of Laxey River to the outflow to the sea at the small harbour and onto the beach and promenade. It is also possible to walk around the cliffs to the north of the beach, from where there are stunning views of Clay Head to the south.
Demographics
The Isle of Man census 2006 lists the village population as 1,768, a slight increase from the population of 1,725 in 2001. It is the fourth largest village on the island.
Laxey Wheel
Laxey WheelThe Laxey Wheel is a large waterwheel built in the village of Laxey in the Isle of Man. Designed by Robert Casement, it is in diameter and wide...
(also known as Lady Isabella after the name of the wife of the then
Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of ManThe Lieutenant Governor is the representative on the Isle of Man of the Lord of Mann, currently Queen Elizabeth II. He has the power to grant Royal Assent and is styled His Excellency. In recent times the Governor has either been a retired diplomat or senior military officer...
was built in 1854 to pump water from the Laxey mine shafts. Now a tourist attraction, it remains the largest working waterwheel in the world. Designed by Robert Casement, it is in diameter and wide. It revolves at about 3 rpm. The mines employed over 600 miners at its peak producing lead, copper, silver and zinc until they closed in 1929.The Wheel was owned by Mr Edwin Kneale from 1939 to 1965 who saved it from being dismantled and ran it as a tourist attraction, before passing it onto the Manx nation, with the agreement that it should be kept in perpetual running order for the people of the Isle of Man. In 1965 the
Isle of Man GovernmentThe Isle of Man Government is the government of the Isle of Man. The head of the Isle of Man Government is the Chief Minister.Douglas, the largest town on the Isle of Man is its capital and seat of government, where the Government offices and the parliament chambers are located.The Civil Service...
bought the wheel and the site. Restoration work began and in 1989 it was put under the control of
Manx National HeritageManx National Heritage is the national heritage organisation for the Isle of Man. It was established in 1951 as the Manx National Trust.-Overview:Manx National Heritage is responsible for:...
.
Great Laxey Mine RailwayThe Great Laxey Mine Railway was originally constructed to serve the Isle of Man's Great Laxey Mine, a lead mine located in Laxey. The 19 in gauge railway runs from the old mine entrance to the washing floors along a right of way that passes through the Isle of Man's only railway tunnel under...
was once part of the mining industry with two small steam engines. Work continues to restore the old narrow gauge line and stock.
Laxey Woollen Mills
Laxey Woollen Mill was founded by
John RuskinJohn Ruskin was an English art critic and social thinker, also remembered as an author, poet and artist. His essays on art and architecture were extremely influential in the Victorian and Edwardian eras....
in 1881. The Mills are known for producing Manx tartan which is used to make a variety of items from hats, scarfs and kilt skirts to capes and rugs. The cloth is made of fine loghtan sheep wool and woven on traditional style looms. The Mills is now mainly a working shop.
Laxey Harbour
The village has a small harbour which was built in the 1850s to service the mining industry. It is now used by leisure craft and inshore fishing vessels.
Transport
Laxey lies on the
Manx Electric RailwayThe Manx Electric Railway is an electric inter-urban tramway connecting the towns of Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It connects with the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway at its southern terminus at Derby Castle at the northern end of the promenade in Douglas, and with the Snaefell Mountain...
line.
Laxey stationLaxey Station, a tram-station in the village of Laxey on the Isle of Man, lies in the northern part of the village. As well the main intermediate station for the Manx Electric Railway the station is also the southern terminus of the Snaefell Mountain Railway, and is therefore the island's only...
, in the north of the town, connects it with the
Snaefell Mountain RailwayThe Snaefell Mountain Railway is an electric mountain railway on the Isle of Man in Europe. It joins the town of Laxey with the summit of Snaefell, at 2,036 feet above sea level the highest point on the island. It connects with the Manx Electric Railway in Laxey...
for which the station is the southern
terminusTerminal Station is a 1953 film English language film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
.
Religion in Laxey
Laxey had a number of
MethodistMethodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to Reverend John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement in the Anglican Church. His younger brother...
chapels. Shore Road Primitive Methodist Chapel was built in 1825, and closed in 1870. Glen Road Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was opened in 1850. It closed in 1966. Minorca Primitive Methodist Chapel was opened in 1870. A Sunday School was built in 1898 in land across the road. The chapel closed in 1966 when Flen Road and Menorca combined. In 1970 Minorca's Sunday School building became the new Methodist chapel for Laxey.
Christ Church (the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches...
parish church) was built to a design of
Ewan ChristianEwan Christian was a British architect.Christian was born on the Isle of Man. He is most notable for the restoration of Carlisle Cathedral, the alterations to Christ Church, Spitalfields in 1866, and the extension to the National Gallery that created the National Portrait Gallery. He was also...
and constructed by the Mining Company at a cost of £950 and was consecrated by the
Bishop of Sodor and ManThe Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man in the Province of York in the Church of England.The diocese covers the Isle of Man. The see is in the town of Peel where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of St German, elevated to cathedral status on 1...
, Lord Auckland, on 27 May 1856.
Sport
Laxey F.C.Laxey A.F.C. are a football club from Laxey on the Isle of Man. They compete in the Isle of Man Football League. They play in a green and white striped kit and play their home games at Glen Road in Laxey...
who play in the
Isle of Man Football LeagueThe Isle of Man Football League is a football league for clubs on the Isle of Man run by the Isle of Man Football Association. The league does not form part of the English football league system. All clubs on the island are amateur.-Format:...
are based at the Laxey Football Ground on Glen Road.
External links