Ramsey ( gv, Rhumsaa) is a coastal town in the north of the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = " O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europ ...
. It is the second largest town on the island after
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
*Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
* Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...
. Its population is 7,845 according to the
2016 Census.
It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict
pier, called the
Queen's Pier (currently under restoration). It was formerly one of the main points of communication with
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. Ramsey has also been a route for several invasions by the
Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
and
Scots.
Ramsey is also known as "Royal Ramsey" due to royal visits by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
and
Prince Albert in 1847 and by
King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...
and
Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of ...
in 1902.
History
The name of the town derives from the
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...
''hrams-á'', meaning "wild
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeas ...
river", More specifically, it refers to the plant known as ramsons, buckrams or wild garlic, in Latin ''
Allium ursinum''.
The Isle of Man has been an important strategic location in conflicts between the Norse rulers of Man and the Isles, and the Scots and English. Smugglers and pirates were also common at many times in Manx history.
Ramsey was the landing place of the Viking warrior
Godred Crovan around 1079: he was determined to subjugate the island and make it his kingdom. On Sky Hill, inland, an important
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...
was fought; this resulted in a period of Viking rule, influencing the development of the Manx nation and many of the traditions that continue today.
Godred's son,
King Olaf, was murdered by his nephew Reginald near Ramsey harbour in 1154, and two years later the ''Chronicle of Man'' states that the ships of Somerled came to Ramsey during a conflict which would lead to the division of the kingdom of Man and to Somerled taking the Kingship of the Isles (the Hebrides).
On 17 May 1313
Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...
landed at Ramsey "with a multitude of ships" from the fleet of his friend, Angus Og Macdonald, Lord of the Isles, on his way to capturing
Castle Rushen.
Captain
François Thurot, a then-famous French privateer, and notorious scourge of the British fleet, was defeated off the north-west of the island in February 1760. His badly damaged, captured ship was brought into
Ramsey Bay after the battle. Thurot's actions had been part of a planned French invasion of Britain. In previous years Thurot had traded between Ireland and the Isle of Man and had been well liked by many Manx people, and regarded as an intelligent gentleman. Several cottages and bridges were built using timbers from the wrecked ship: hence Thurot Cottage and Thurot Bridge.
Pirate radio station
Radio Caroline North was based in
Ramsey Bay from 1964–68 and supplied with provisions from Ramsey.
During World War II, thirty boarding houses on the North Shore were requisitioned for the
Mooragh Internment Camp.
Climate and geography
Ramsey is in the sunniest area of the Isle of Man, with relatively low rainfall. This is because Ramsey is in a 'rain shadow' just to the north-east of the Manx hills, on the edge of the northern plain of the island. Rain clouds coming from the prevailing wind direction, the south-west, tend to lose most of their moisture over the hills before they reach Ramsey.
Ramsey is built mostly on sandy ground and has miles of sandy beaches. To the north of Ramsey the beaches run continuously to the north tip of the island. On the southern edge of Ramsey, at the edge of the hills, are a network of woods and glens: Ballure Walk, Lhergy Frissel and Elfin Glen. The
Millennium Way and other paths and roads lead up to and across the upland heath ('the tops' and 'the hills'). The new 'Ramsey Forest' project aims to increase the tree cover in this area and connect areas of woodland.
Transport and infrastructure
Shipping
Ramsey is home to the second busiest port on the island, handling a wide range of general cargo. The port was formerly used as an operating base by the
Isle of Man Steam Packet Company for both cargo and passenger services. The company operated scheduled services to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
and
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle and to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It i ...
in addition to which during the summer months steamers would call at the Queen's Pier whilst en-route to
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
*Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
* Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...
from
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
and
Ardrossan.
The port is the headquarters of the local shipping line Mezeron, as it was formerly for the Ramsey Steamship Company, until it ceased trading in 2014.
Buses
Ramsey serves as the main terminus for the northern network of
Bus Vannin, providing local services to
Andreas
Andreas ( el, Ἀνδρέας) is a name usually given to males in Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Armenia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. The ...
,
Jurby
Jurby ( on, djúra-bý – deer settlement - animal park) () is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north-west of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) in the sheading of Michael.
Local ...
and
Bride. In addition it provides an on-demand service to
Ronaldsway Airport and main services to
Peel and to
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
*Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
* Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...
via
Laxey.
Rail
At one time the town was served by both the
Manx Electric Railway and the
Isle of Man Railway
The Isle of Man Railway (IMR) ( gv, Raad Yiarn Vannin) is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin on the Isle of Man. The line is narrow gauge and long. It is the remainder of what was ...
. The first rail link was established by the Isle of Man Railway in 1879, transferring to the
Manx Northern Railway in 1880. The line ran via
Sulby,
Ballaugh
Ballaugh ( ; , ) is a small village on the Isle of Man in the parish of the same name, in the sheading of Michael. It is the only village in the parish.
The parish adjoins Jurby to the north, Lezayre to the east, Michael to the south and sout ...
and
Kirk Michael to
St John's, where it connected to the main Douglas – Peel line and with the
Foxdale Railway
The Foxdale Railway was a narrow gauge branch line which ran from St. John's to Foxdale on the Isle of Man.
History
The line was officially opened by the Foxdale Railway Company Ltd. (registered on ) on allowing rail access to the lead mi ...
. The railway was largely financed by the prosperity of the
Foxdale Mines
The Foxdale Mines is a collective term for a series of mines and shafts which were situated in a highly mineralised zone on the Isle of Man, running east to west, from Elerslie mine in Crosby to Niarbyl on the coast near Dalby.''Isle of Man T ...
for which it was used to haul ore trains from
Foxdale to the Ramsey quayside for shipment. Return trains would haul coal back to Foxdale to power the pumping houses of the mines.
Ramsey is also the northern terminus of the
Manx Electric Railway. Initially linking Douglas to Laxey, the line from Laxey to Ramsey was opened on 2 August 1898 by the Lieutenant Governor,
John Henniker-Major, 5th Baron Henniker. At that date the line ran as far as
Ballure, on the outskirts of Ramsey. The final extension to the centre of Ramsey was opened on 24 July 1899.
Air
For a period between 1935 and 1937
Hall Caine Airport just outside the town operated scheduled air services to English, Scottish and Irish airports. Both Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine's sons,
Gordon Hall Caine
Gordon Ralph Hall Caine CBE (15 August 1884 – 5 March 1962) was a British publisher and Conservative politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Dorset East between 1922 and 1929, and again between 1931 and 1945.
Caine was the so ...
and
Derwent Hall Caine
Sir Derwent Hall Caine, 1st Baronet (12 September 18912 December 1971) was a British actor, publisher and Labour politician.
Biography
Caine was the son of British novelist Hall Caine and his wife Mary Chandler. He was born at Keswick in Cum ...
, were particularly keen on the development of an aerodrome on the site, as they saw it as another memorial to their late father. They also wished to involve the Ramsey town commissioners in the project, as they felt the aerodrome would bring immense benefit to the town. Hall Caine Airport officially came into being on 30 April 1935.
Scheduled services proved successful in 1935 and 1936, with
Hillman's Airways and later
British Airways Ltd and
Northern and Scottish Airways
Northern & Scottish Airways was a regional airline established in Glasgow in 1934. It was taken over in 1937, eventually becoming part of British European Airways.
History Formation
The potential of running scheduled air services to the Western ...
providing scheduled services to
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
,
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...
and
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
where the passenger could connect with services to
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. There was also an air link between Hall Caine and Ronaldsway Airport for air mail. The primary reason for the cessation of services from Hall Caine was a rationalization of services operated by Northern and Scottish. Northern and Scottish and
Manx Airways Ltd entered into an undertaking at Ronaldsway. This resulted in Manx Airways covering the schedules to Liverpool, Blackpool, Carlisle and Belfast which were formerly operated by Northern and Scottish, leaving only the Glasgow service being operated from Hall Caine.
[''Mona's Herald.'' Tuesday, 25 May 1937; p. 5] This was a severe blow to Ramsey, coming as it did at the beginning of the tourist season. Services from Hall Caine to Glasgow resumed in early June, aimed primarily at the increased traffic as a result of the
TT Races which continued throughout the month.
The Ramsey Ratepayers Association petitioned the
Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man,
Sir Montague Butler, with a view to his intervening to preserve commercial air operations from Hall Caine. The cancellation by Northern and Scottish Airways also led to a special meeting of the Ramsey Commissioners. It was hoped that Railway Air Services would have commenced operations from Hall Caine, but any hope proved unfounded.
[''Ramsey Courier.'' Friday, 21 May 1937; p. 4]
Piloted by
Capt. McGeow, the final commercial flight from Hall Caine Airport departed at 4:15 pm on Saturday, 2 October 1937.
Sights
Ramsey (Plaza) tram station
Ramsey Station ( Manx: ''Stashoon Raad Yiarn Rhumsaa'') serves the town of Ramsey in the Isle of Man; it is the northern terminus of the Manx Electric Railway. It was formerly known as Ramsey (Plaza) Station after the nearby Plaza cinema, now ...
is the northern terminus of the
Manx Electric Railway, and Ramsey is the start of the mountain section of the
Snaefell Mountain Course
The Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' is a street and public rural road circuit located in the Isle of Man, used for motorcycle racing. The motorcycle ''TT Course'' is used principally for the Isle of Man TT Races and also the se ...
used for the annual
Isle of Man TT and
Manx Grand Prix
The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course (or ' Mountain Circuit') every year for a two-week period, usually spanning the end of August and early September. New for 2022 is a period reduction from 14 to 9 days ...
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: Long-distance ...
races. A popular vantage point is
Ramsey Hairpin
Ramsey Hairpin (in gv, Ballacowle – Cowle's farm)
is a point on the Snaefell Mountain Course used for the Isle of Man TT races on the Snaefell Mountain Road, designated as A18, in the parish of Maughold in the Isle of Man.
It is situat ...
, where enthusiasts gather to watch the racers. Another popular spot is Parliament Square in the middle of town. There are also opportunities for walking, cycling, kayaking, and other outdoor activities.
The
Millennium Way footpath ends from the centre of the town on the
A3 road at the foot of Sky Hill.
Mooragh Park, on the north side of the Sulby river, is a 19th-century park with a large boating lake where boats (canoes, pedaloes etc) are available for hire. It was originally part of a salt marsh but was purchased and developed by the town to encourage visitors. Mooragh Park has a small water park, two cafés, a BMX club, skate park, tennis courts, basketball area, outdoor exercise equipment, and a children's playground. The park is mostly on the level and has disabled toilets.
Ramsey's original swimming pool in the town centre was converted into a
ten-pin bowling alley in 2010.
The new Northern Swimming Pool opened in January 2009 on the Mooragh Promenade.
The
Albert Tower was built to commemorate the royal visit of
Prince Albert on 20 September 1847. Queen Victoria's
Royal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often c ...
anchored in the bay, when heavy seas made it impossible to enter
Douglas Harbour. Recovering from seasickness, Victoria remained on the yacht, leaving Prince Albert to venture ashore. He climbed to the top of the hill, from where he viewed the town of Ramsey and the northern plain. The hill was renamed Albert Mount and a year later the tower's foundation was laid. The tower is made of
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies un ...
and rises high. It is a landmark not only for the town of Ramsey, but also for the north of the Isle of Man. There is a public path leading up the hill for people to visit the tower.
Another distinctive landmark of the town is the Queen's Pier, an iron pier which was built in 1886. It is about 650 metres or 700 yards long. As well as recreational purposes, the pier had a landing stage for visiting ships. It has been closed for many years due to health and safety concerns, although subject to many re-opening appeals. It had its own
tramway. The Queen's Pier has had some renovation work, but is still not considered safe for visitors. The lease has been taken on by the Friends of Queens Pier, who aim to restore it gradually.
The Grove Museum of Victorian Life (Manx National Heritage) is located in the northern suburbs on the A9 (Andreas Road).
Leisure amenities and sport
Among the various leisure venues in Ramsey are a swimming pool, bowling alley, a rural museum (the Grove Museum of Rural Life), and Milntown House at the western edge of the town.
There are several sports clubs, including a
rugby club, a
football club
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all ...
and
Ramsey Youth Centre and Old Boys F.C., a
hockey team, a
Gaelic football
Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...
team, Ramsey Ravens swimming team and a golf club. There is an active sailing club, the Manx Sailing and Cruising Club, which promotes an annual Round the Island sailing race as well as regularly scheduled dinghy and cruiser races. Ramsey Angling Club holds regular sea angling competitions.
Health and education
Ramsey has a modern junior school, a secondary comprehensive school, and the
Ramsey Cottage Hospital.
Places of religious worship
The town has a number of churches, including:
Our Lady, Star of the Sea & St Maughold Church
The Our Lady, Star of the Sea & St Maughold Church is the name given to a religious building that is affiliated with the Catholic Church and is located in Dale Street, in Ramsey the second largest town in the Isle of Man, a dependency of the ...
and
St Paul's.
Industry and commerce
Ramsey has a small shipyard, a large bakery and some small industrial workshops. The main street has a range of independent shops, including a butcher, ironmonger, and shops selling clothes, gifts and homewares. There are pubs, cafes, restaurants and a Farmers' Market every Saturday.
The harbour is used by fishing and small leisure boats, and small freight boats from the Mezeron shipping company. There is a
swing bridge for pedestrians and vehicles, built in 1892, that crosses the harbour.
Wildlife and nature
Wildlife around Ramsey reflects the mix of landscape: with sandy coast and
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...
at Ramsey, wooded
glens and rocky coasts just to the south-east, and hills and moors to the south-west, plus
Ballaugh Curragh (wooded swamp) and productive farmland inland, and isolated sandy shores and dunes to the north.
Ramsey Bay was the island's first Marine Nature Reserve, set up to protect fisheries and marine wildlife. The protected area acts as a 'nursery area' for fish and other creatures and plants, which can then move out to restock surrounding areas.
Ramsey shore and estuary provide a feeding area for birds:
oystercatcher,
redshank and
ringed plover
The common ringed plover or ringed plover (''Charadrius hiaticula'') is a small plover that breeds in Arctic Eurasia. The genus name ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives fr ...
on the shore, and geese, swans and ducks in the harbour. The inner harbour footpath (toward Mooragh Park) is a scrap of rich original
saltmarsh habitat plus many land plants (also a sun trap). There is a big patch of salt marsh in Poyll Dooey park up the harbour.
Just south-east of Ramsey, in
Maughold, are rugged wooded glens open to the public, and rocky coasts, headlands and beaches, with much of the area accessible by road, footpath, and electric tram.
Inland wildlife areas include Sulby Glen (a rugged grassy glen full of bluebells in spring) and
Ballaugh Curragh: a wildlife-rich patchwork of semi-wilderness, swamp, woodland and agriculture, continuous since the last Ice Age.
Wildlife hotspots around Ramsey
Maughold Head
Seals, cormorants, chough, wildfowl and seabirds, coastal wildflowers.
The Ayres/
Point of Ayre
Lichen heath, sand-dunes,
little tern,
Arctic tern
The Arctic tern (''Sterna paradisaea'') is a tern in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe (as far south as Brittany), Asia, and North America (as far south ...
, winter migratory geese, divers,
gannets, other wildfowl,
basking shark,
seals
Seals may refer to:
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...
, lizard, various Lepidoptera. Includes the
Manx Wildlife Trust Ayres Nature Discovery Centre and Nature Trail.
Music, culture and events
Ramsey has been a centre for the revival of Manx traditional music and culture. 'Shennaghys Jiu' ("Tradition Today") Celtic music festival runs in springtime, usually late March. There are two separate live folk music nights at the Mitre Hotel, on Thursdays (singaround) and Fridays (Irish session).
The busiest times of year are Shennagys Jiu in March, Cyclefest in May, TT fortnight in late May / early June, (especially Ramsey Sprint Day, when thousands of biking fans visit to watch motorbike drag sprints on Mooragh Promenade), Manx Grand Prix/ Manx Classic motorbike race fortnight in late August, Ramsey National Week in early July, with many music and culture events, and 'Ramsey Rocks' held on the Quayside one Friday in summer.
Politics, civic authority and local government
The local authority is the Ramsey Town Commissioners. Ramsey is also a
House of Keys constituency electing two
MHKs. As of 2021, these are
Alex Allinson (independent) and
Lawrie Hooper (Liberal Vannin).
MHKs and Elections
This information is incomplete.
Notable people
*
William Gill (1795 in Ramsay – 1858 in Douglas) was a Manx merchant navy officer who served as commanding officer of numerous
Isle of Man Steam Packet Company vessels. Gill was the first recognised captain of the line, retiring with the rank of Commodore
*
Andrew Roche
Andrew Roche (born 22 November 1971) is a Isle of Man, Manx Cycle sport, cyclist. He won the Rás Tailteann in 1997, and has competed at seven Commonwealth Games.
Early life
Roche grew up in Ramsey, Isle of Man.
Career
Roche began cycling com ...
(born 1971), road cyclist
*
Beckii Cruel (born 1995), businesswoman,
YouTuber, singer and dancer
See also
*
Ramsey Grammar School
Ramsey Grammar School is a coeducational comprehensive secondary school located in Ramsey, on the Isle of Man.
History
A grammar school has existed in Ramsey since 1681. It moved to Lezayre Road in 1933 and was housed in a building that now ...
*
Hall Caine Airport
*
54 Air-Sea Rescue Marine Craft Unit RAF
References
External links
Isle of Man Census Report 2011 IOM Govt Council of Ministers Working Group*
BBC Domesday Reloaded
BBC Domesday Reloaded was a local history web site for the digitised content of the BBC's 1986 Domesday Project. It was launched in May 2011 and included some updates contributed by users during 2011. During the site's first day of public oper ...
Domesday Reloaded - Overview of Ramsey.
{{Authority control
Populated places established in the 11th century
Towns in the Isle of Man
Ports and harbours of the Isle of Man
Constituencies of the Isle of Man