26-Oct-2024
1.
The Manx Museum
It's a long time since I've been here. It's a very well presented resource, and after two visits, we still hadn't exhausted its treasures.
Esther Taubman nee Christian (these surnames have come up a lot during this visit, and they both represent families that were powerful in the Isle of Man in the 18th century). The painting is by George Romney
Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby. On the plus side, he was one of the few Stanley Lords to actually come to the Island; on the negative side, he seems a bit too keen to assert the Lord of Man's rights to any treasure the Island yielded...
James Brown. Born in Liverpool, the son of a freed slave, he came to the Island in 1846, founded the Isle of Man Times in 1861, and was a tireless campaigner for political reform
Design by Hugh Mackay Baillie Scott
Works by Archibald Knox
Elizabeth Karran, painted by Jirokichi Kasagi (1870-1923), an artist popular among Europeans in Japan. She was married to a prominent seafaring man. The description says: "Painted in Japan from a photograph, it illustrates the extensive trading routes that existed between the Isle of Man and the Far East during the age of sail"
Paintings by John Miller Nicholson (1840-1913), often rated as the Island's finest painter
Reputed to be the cap of Iliam Dhone
The Act of Revestment, detailing the sale of the Island to the British Crown in 1765, with George III's official seal
The uniform of Manxman Caesar Bacon (1791-1876), who served at the Battle of Waterloo
Douglas in its tourist heyday
One of the woodcuts made in the Knockaloe internment centre
Stained glass windows by William Hoggatt, featuring characters from the Fo'c's'le Yarns by T.E. Brown
A bonus at the museum on our second visit was a delightful temporary exhibition by Julia Ashby Smyth:
Until that day, we had known this artist's work only from her designs for Fynoderee, purveyors of wonderful Manx gin, rum, and vodka. I really enjoyed seeing a wider range. Many are based on figures from Manx folklore, but others come into being when the artist sees intriguing objects in nature, and winds a story around them. I often see intriguing objects in nature, and maybe I photograph them. But this extra step of imagination I find magical.
The Moddey Dhoo
Manx birds and flowers
The storyteller
This is a flipperrer. "A good example of a flipperrer is the annoying nano-fey who loiters inside USB ports. You look at the USB port and hold your connector the correct way up, only to find it doesn't fit. You flip it, and it still is the wrong way round. That's the work of a flipperrer blocking entrance. Once you've sworn a bit, he'll let you in." This happens to me ALL the time. My electronic equipment is obviously awash with flipperrers
Beautiful, in sum. Whimsical, funny, and heart-warming.
2.
Second go on the steam train!
From our little cottage, it's only a short walk through the village to Colby Station...
... where you wait, in great excitement, for the train...
... which works its usual magic:
Passing the down train
At Douglas station
Manx steam trains... Tern heaven...