Laxey () is a village on the east coast 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 ...

. Its name derives from the

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

''Laxa'' meaning 'Salmon River'. Its key distinguishing features are its three working vintage railways and the largest working

waterwheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the kinetic energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a large wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with numerous blade ...

in the world. It is also the location of King Orry's Grave. The village lies on the A2, the main Douglas to Ramsey road, and on the vintage Manx Electric Railway, and Snaefell Mountain Railway. Laxey Glen is one of the

Manx National Glens Manx National Glens is a collective term for a series of glens in the Isle of Man which have been officially designated as tourist attractions. They are maintained by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (Isle of Man), Department o ...

; another glen, Dhoon Glen, is about 1 miles away. The Raad ny Foillan long distance coastal footpath, opened in 1986, runs along the coast of Laxey Bay through the village.

History

In the 19th century

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

and

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

began; it became the largest industry in the village, but ended in 1929. The village also had a fishing industry.From a notable Manx fishing family living in Laxey in 1800s, Robert Lawson lived with his family in "Sea Villa" on the promenade. He converted this property from a cottage into a large house, then built "Bay View Terrace" of five houses about 50 yards behind the promenade. One of his sons, Robert Edwin ("Ted") was harbour master in the 1880s. This Lawson family first appeared on the island around 1580, (documented)in

Bride A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is a newlywed. When marrying, if the bride's future spouse is a man, he is usually referred to as the ''bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, ...

, and in Lonan in the 1600s. They were fishermen/farmers, and were later associated with the local mining industry. During the 1700s and 1800s, the Lawsons and their relatives were perhaps one of the largest families in the Laxey area. In the late 1800s the Manx Electric Railway line was built through the village, opening it up to tourists. Other attractions were built at that time, including Snaefell Mountain Railway and the Laxey Glen Pleasure Gardens. Laxey village is now a mainly residential and tourist area. There are several public gardens, primarily Laxey Glen Gardens. There is also a handweaving mill which sells its own products and many others. The village has five pubs and a

microbrewery Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, ne ...

, The Old Laxey Brewing Company. The village is built around a wooded glen with a number of steep winding streets and paths leading to the floor of the glen, from where one can walk by the side of Laxey River to its outflow to the sea at the small harbour, and onto the beach and promenade. One can also walk around the cliffs to the north of the beach from opposite the "La Mona Lisa Restaurant". This walk goes over the cairn (kern), from where there are views of Laxey Bay and Clay Head to the south. A Laxey-born and bred person would say, "I'm going over the kern for a walk". Many of Laxey's buildings were built as mining cottages in the traditional Manx style. To the southeast of the village centre, above the left bank of the Laxey River, is the ''Minorca'' area. ''Old Laxey'' has winding streets around the harbour. The village centre is a newer, late Victorian section further inland is the area of shops and services around the railway station.

Mining

The Great Laxey Mine was a silver, lead ore and zinc mine. The mine reached a depth in excess of 2,200 ft (670 m) and consisted primarily of three shafts: the Welsh Shaft, the Dumbell's Shaft and the Engine Shaft, each of these shafts being connected by a series of levels.''Mona's Herald.'' Wednesday, 23 March 1904; Page: 7 The Washing Floor of the Great Laxey Mine

The Washing Floor of the Great Laxey Mine

There is no exact date for the start of mining at Laxey, but by 1782 workings were being opened. The mine yielded

, silver ore, copper pyrites and

hematite Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of . ...

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

in significant quantities; and by the 1830s over 200 men were employed in the mines, the figure rising steadily until over 600 were employed by 1900. Following various short-term closures, by May 1929 rumours had begun to circulate about the future of the mine. By then, most of the miners had left, with many emigrating to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

or the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

.''Isle of Man Examiner.'' Friday, 24 May 1929; Page: 11 Continued flooding in the lower reaches of the mine combined with antiquated pumping machinery finally led to the end of mining operations at Laxey, and on the Isle of Man. However some of the spoil residue was brought to the washing floors to extract any remaining worth from it. It is thought that this continued until 1934, when all working finally ceased.

Demographics

The Isle of Man census 2011 lists the village district population as 1,705. It is the fourth largest village on the island.

Governance

Historically, Laxey was in the parish of Lonan within the sheading of Garff. Until 2016, Laxey was a village district with its own commissioners. From 1 May 2016, it merged with the parishes of Lonan and Maughold to form the new parish district of

Garff Garff () is one of the six sheadings of the Isle of Man. It is located on the east of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) and consists of the two historic parishes of Lonan (parish), Lonan and Maughold (parish), Maugh ...

, within which it is a ward. Laxey is also part of the Keys constituency of Garff, whose representation increased in 2016 from one to two members.

Tourism

Laxey Wheel

Laxey Wheel, also known as Lady Isabella after the wife of The Hon. Charles Hope, then

Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man The lieutenant governor of the Isle of Man ( or ''lhiass-chiannoort vannin'') is the Lord of Mann's official personal representative in the Isle of Man. He has the power to grant royal assent and is styled "His Excellency". No Manx-born perso ...

, was built in 1854 to pump water from the Laxey mine shafts. Now a tourist attraction, it is claimed to be the largest working

in the world. Designed by Robert Casement, it is in diameter and wide. It revolves at about 3

rpm Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

. The wheel was owned by Edwin Kneale from 1939 to 1965; he saved it from being dismantled and ran it as a tourist attraction, before passing it on to 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 Government The Isle of Man Government () is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, Lieutenant Governor, the personal representative of the Lord of Mann (currently Char ...

bought the wheel and the site. Restoration work began, and in 1989 it was put under the control of Manx National Heritage. The Great Laxey Mine Railway re-opened with two small steam engines in September 2004 to carry passengers along the restored route.

Laxey Woollen Mills

The Laxey Woollen Mills were founded in 1881 by Egbert Rydings, supported by

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

, and were originally water powered.Laxey Woollen Mills history
/ref> The mills are known for producing Manx

tartan Tartan or plaid ( ) is a patterned cloth consisting of crossing horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, forming repeating symmetrical patterns known as ''setts''. Originating in woven wool, tartan is most strongly associated wi ...

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 Manx Loaghtan wool and woven on traditional-style looms. One loom operates by bicycle-power. The mills are now mainly a working shop, but still weave the Manx tartan and other cloth. The Laxey Woollen Mills also contain a busy craft shop, a tea-room, and the Hodgson Loom Gallery, which holds monthly arts and crafts exhibitions.

Laxey Harbour and Bay

The village has a small harbour at the river mouth which was built in the 1850s to service the mining industry. It is now used by leisure craft and inshore fishing vessels that utilise Laxey Bay and further offshore. Laxey Bay is a protected Marine Nature Reserve.

Ancient monument

Laxey is the site of King Orry's Grave.

Conventions

The Isle of Man is a popular venue for conventions. As an example, Laxey was the venue for the Linux Bier Wanderung in 2016.

Transport

Laxey lies on the Manx Electric Railway, a vintage line which runs for 17 miles along the coast, between Douglas and Ramsey. Laxey station is in the north of the village and is also the southern terminus of the Snaefell Mountain Railway which runs for five miles between Laxey and the top of Snaefell mountain. Laxey is also on the route of most buses between Douglas and Ramsey.

Religion

Laxey had a number of

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's 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 and Sunday School was built in 1898 in land across the road; the chapel closed in 1966 when Glen Road and Minorca combined. In 1970 Minorca's Sunday School building became the new Methodist chapel for Laxey. Christ Church, the

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

, was built to a design of

Ewan Christian Ewan Christian (1814–1895) was a British architect. He is most frequently noted for the restorations of Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, and the design of the National Portrait Gallery (London), National Portrait Gallery. He was Arch ...

and constructed by the mining company at a cost of £950. It was consecrated by the

Bishop of Sodor and Man The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man (Manx Gaelic: ''Sodor as Mannin'') in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Cathedral Church of St German where ...

, Lord Auckland, on 27 May 1856.

Education

Laxey School is a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

located on Quarry Road.

Twinnage

Laxey is twinned with Bagillt, North Wales.

Sport

Laxey F.C., based at Glen Road, play in the Isle of Man Football League.

Notable people

* Thomas Grindley (1864 in Laxey – 1929 in Vancouver, British Columbia) a politician and municipal councillor in Canada, was educated in Laxey and emigrated to Canada in 1882 *

Mark Cavendish Sir Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Manx people, Manx retired professional cyclist. As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialised in the Madison (cycling), madison, points race, and scratch race disciplines; as a road racer he ...

MBE (b.1985 in Laxey) is a British professional road racing cyclist *

Samantha Barks Samantha Jane Barks (born 2 October 1990) is a British actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series '' I'd Do Anything'' in 2008. She has released three studio albums: ''Looking in Y ...

(b.1990 in Laxey), actress and singer, was born and brought up in Laxey * Billy Redmayne (1991 in Laxey – 2016 in Middlesbrough) was a Manx soldier and motorcycle racer

References

External links

{{Isle of Man Villages in the Isle of Man Ports and harbours of the Isle of Man