Laxey Wheel's 1980s ticket office to be demolished

For more than 170 years, the Great Laxey Wheel has stood above the village that once depended on it, a giant red waterwheel built to drain one of the Isle of Man's busiest mines.

Now work is under way to preserve and improve the attraction for future visitors.

As part of the latest phase, the cylindrical ticket office, which has welcomed more than a million visitors since it was built in the 1980s, will be removed and the information displays across the site will be refreshed over the winter.

Manx National Heritage said the work would help ensure that this "remarkable heritage is preserved and celebrated for generations to come".

The wheel was designed by engineer Robert Casement and built in 1854 to pump water out of the Great Laxey Mines, which produced lead and zinc.

At 72ft 6in (22.1m) across, it is the largest surviving original working waterwheel in the world.

Water power was used because the Island has no coal of its own, so running a steam pump would have meant shipping fuel in.

The wheel was named Lady Isabella after the wife of Charles Hope, the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man at the time.

At its peak the mine employed more than 600 men, but it closed in 1929.

The Manx government bought the wheel and the surrounding site in 1965, and it has been cared for by Manx National Heritage since 1989.

Today it is one of the Island's best-known landmarks, and even appears on the back of the Isle of Man's £20 note.

The ticket office is being removed after the recent opening of a new Visitor Welcome Hub and Shop on the site.

John-Paul Walker, historic buildings architect for Manx National Heritage, said the organisation was "delighted to continue our investment in the Great Laxey Wheel".

He said the new hub, further restoration and refreshed displays would create "an even better experience for visitors".

In recent years, conservation work has included repointing and repainting the wheel's rod duct.

Over the winter, Manx National Heritage will also update the information displays across the site to tell more of the story of its history, engineering and role in the Island's mining past.

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