Inner harbour, Douglas

Date(s): 1870s

Scope & Content: On the back of this photograph Frowde writes, 'Same image as 172. (Parcel III) Note the spud-mill chimney in the middle distance, and the 'old Customs House', the recessed building on the North Quay, about 1/2 inch from left of the picture. The chimney belonged to a factory that made starch from potatoes. And when the old Custom House was rebuilt and became Beck's warehouse, retaining the name of its predecessor, Mr William Beck was one day doing business with a commercial; who, glancing across the harbour at the chimney remarked, 'I see you have a distillery over there.' Mr Beck said 'No, that is a potato starch factory.' 'Well' said the Commercial, 'I come from Ireland and I have never seen blue smoke like that from any chimney that didn't belong to a distillery'.

'Tynwald (II) up the river, built 1866. The SPCo had only one other boat with both funnels abaft the paddleboxes. This was the Douglas (I), built 1858 and sold* [1862] to the Confederate States of America to run the blockade, and re-named 'Margaret and Jessie'. See History of IOMSPCo, and reprinted in the 1930 Souvenir. In the case of the Tynwald the two steampipes were aft and forard of the funnels, in the Douglas I the forward steampipe was on the front of the funnel nearest to the bow. See the oil painting over the steps from entrance of Museum, going up to the print room - just past the map room. The Douglas (I). The Douglas (I) in bay.

'15.10.1931. Today had a look at the W Gable of Corlett's warehouse, which was Beck's, and prior the 'Old Custom House', and the round-headed window is still visible in the gable, bricked up. So that is the house, transformed into a warehouse and built out level with the other buildings on the quayside. Even the chimney stack that side is apparent among the later stonework, it being cemented. As a lad, playing with Ted Kneen, whose father had a seed warehouse on the Bridge, I used to spend a lot of holiday times on the Tongue, and can clearly remember the first Mona's Queen (Litho Mona's Queen leaving for L'pool) laid up in the river, as is Tynwald II in this picture. And also the Mona's Isle II paddleboat - one funnel - later screw, Ellan Vannin up there on the N side of the Tongue at times.

'Lower left-hand corner - the old 'inside' car (see Collister's and other ads in Brown's 1880 Directory 'outside and inside cars') of the seventies of last century. The Irish Jaunting car - same up and down movement on a pair of wheels, but turned 'outside in'. This was the usual conveyance from the pier, and a ride on the small step at the rear was about the only ride we juveniles ever got, other than the Sunday School Picnic. And then the cry of 'Whip behind Mastha' from youngsters on the 'parapet' meant precipitating ourselves onto the road to avoid the long whiplash of the driver on the elevated dickey. I have asked scores of people since 1920 (now 1931) if they knew of an extant picture of these long defunct vehicles. And here is the identical article'.

Language: eng

Extent: 204mm x 132mm

Physical description: black & white print

Item name: photograph

Collection: Photographic Archive

Level: ITEM

ID number: PG/8224/18/176

Comments