Douglas Head (Manx: ''Kione Ghoolish'') is a rocky point on the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

overlooking Douglas Bay and harbour. Views extend to include

Snaefell Snaefell () – () is the highest mountain and the only summit above on the Isle of Man, at above sea level. The summit is crowned by a railway station, cafe, several communications masts and can be reached by narrow gauge railway. Views I ...

Mountain and

Laxey Laxey () is a village on the east coast of the Isle of Man. Its name derives from the Old Norse ''Laxa'' meaning 'Salmon River'. Its key distinguishing features are its three working vintage railways and the largest working waterwheel in the wo ...

General

Until 1870, the headland was owned by The Nunnery Estate when Sir John Goldie-Taubman gave part of it to 'the people of Douglas' by donating it to

Douglas Town Council 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 W ...

. The headland was a popular area during the Victorian

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

period with access available via South Quay or by using the three steam ferries of Douglas Harbour Ferry Service.

Current facilities

Douglas Head Lighthouse Douglas Head Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Douglas Head on the Isle of Man located between England and Ireland. The lighthouse was established in 1857, although the vicinity was under the control of the Isle of Man Harbour Board from 1832. I ...

Manx Radio Manx Radio (legally Radio Manx Ltd.) () is the national commercial radio station for the Isle of Man. It began broadcasting on 29 June 1964, almost ten years before legal commercial radio was licensed in the United Kingdom. The Isle of Man, hav ...

Historic facilities

* Douglas Head Amphitheatre * Douglas Head Hotel * Grand Union Camera Obscura * The Black Mast *

Warwick Tower Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

* Douglas Head Funicular Railway *

Douglas Head Marine Drive Railway Douglas Southern Electric Tramway was a standard gauge tramway between the top of Douglas Head on the Isle of Man and the nearby resort of Port Soderick. Route The route ran along from the Douglas Head end of the Marine Drive atop the cliffs an ...

* Port Skillicon Pool * Douglas Head Restaurant

Memorials

Douglas Head is home to three memorials: * A statue of

RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. Founded in 1824 ...

founder and

resident Sir

William Hillary Sir William Hillary, 1st Baronet (4 January 1771 – 5 January 1847) was a British militia officer, author and philanthropist, best known as the founder, in 1824, of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Life Hillary's background was Quake ...

who was the man behind the building of the

Tower of Refuge The Tower of Refuge from Shipwreck, referred to as the Tower of Refuge, is a stone-built castellated structure which was erected on St Mary's Isle (also known as the Conister Rock) in Douglas Bay, Isle of Man, in order to afford shelter to ...

on Conister Rock * A large stone anchor is dedicated to the contribution and sacrifice made by Manx people during the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

and was placed on the headland marking the bi-centenary of that event * A granite bollard and plinth from the harbourside in the

Isle of Whithorn Isle of Whithorn (''Port Rosnait'' in Scottish Gaelic language, Gaelic) is one of the most southerly villages and seaports in Scotland, lying on the coast north east of Burrow Head, about three miles from Whithorn and about thirteen miles south o ...

, giving thanks from the families and friends of those lost their lives in the

Solway Harvester ''Solway Harvester'' was a scallop dredger from Kirkcudbright, Scotland, which sank off the coast of Douglas, Isle of Man, in heavy seas on 11 January 2000 with the loss of all seven crew members. Following salvage, the damaged ship was taken t ...

whose bodies were recovered by the Manx Government contrary to previous maritime tradition

Trivia

* During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Douglas Head was the location of a major

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

station called HMS Valkyrie * Extensive radar research, development and training of systems and operators took place here *

, broadcasting from the head, was the first licensed independent station in the British Isles * Marine Drive was a toll road, and the impressive arched gateway was the toll gate * Evidence of the tramway exists in the landside arch where the overhead cable was attached to the stonework * The road runs the full length of Marine Drive however is closed to through traffic due to rock instability * Sections of the 1999 film

Waking Ned ''Waking Ned'' (titled ''Waking Ned Devine'' in North America) is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Kirk Jones (director), Kirk Jones and starring Ian Bannen, David Kelly (actor), David Kelly, and Fionnula Flanagan. Kelly was nominated ...

were filmed on Marine Drive

External links

Manx Notebook
{{Coord, 54, 08, 35, N, 4, 28, 00, W, display=title, region:IM_type:landmark Headlands of the Isle of Man Douglas, Isle of Man Tourist attractions in the Isle of Man