Dreswick Point is the southernmost point of the main island of 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 ...
. It is the southern tip of the
Langness Peninsula
Langness () is a peninsula which protrudes two kilometres at the southern extremity of the Isle of Man. Signifying a cape or extended promontory, ''Langness'' literally means "long promontory" in Old Norse. Formerly an island, Langness was even ...
in the south-east of the island, some from
Castletown.
Langness Lighthouse
Langness Lighthouse was established in 1880 to guide boats into Castletown. The lighthouse keeper's cottages were formerly owned by TV car journalist
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English television presenter, journalist, farmer, and author who specialises in Driving, motoring. He is best known for hosting the television programmes ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), T ...
, who featured the lighthouse in an episode of ''
Top Gear
Top Gear may refer to:
* "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission
Television
* ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme
* ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the ori ...
'' (series 07, Episode 1). Before this time, a landmark known as the
Herring Tower held a lighted flare to guide fishing boats. The lighthouse is a
Registered Building.
The Potato Grave
Near the lighthouse is a turf covered mound, known as the potato grave. In 1832 a ship carrying
Irish workers to the Isle of Man to help with the digging of
potatoes
The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
was lost with all hands and over the intervening days the bodies of those who perished were washed ashore. At this time on the Isle of Man it was customary bury the bodies of people washed ashore behind a hedge in the place it had been found, and so a
communal grave was dug and all 32 bodies placed within it.
No stone marks the resting place of these souls, their only memorial is a turf covered mound.
[Isle of Man Times, Friday, October 14, 1960; Page: 4]
See also
*
List of lighthouses in the Isle of Man
This is a list of lighthouses in the Isle of Man which is located in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland.
The Commissioners of Northern Lights were granted powers by the (55 Geo. 3. c. lxvii) to erect lighthouses on the Isle of Man.
Lig ...
References
External links
Northern Lighthouses BoardPhotos of the Herring Tower
Headlands of the Isle of Man
Lighthouses in the Isle of Man
Registered Buildings of the Isle of Man
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