Peel, Isle of Man
| Peel | |
| Manx: Purt ny h-Inshey | |
 Peel from St Patrick's Isle |
|
  Peel |
|
| Population | 5,093 (2011 Census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SC242843 |
| – Douglas | 11 miles (18 km) |
| Parish | German |
| Sheading | Glenfaba |
| Crown dependency | Isle of Man |
| Post town | ISLE OF MAN |
| Postcode district | IM5 |
| Dialling code | 01624 |
| Police | Isle of Man |
| Fire | Isle of Man |
| Ambulance | Isle of Man |
| House of Keys | Peel |
| Website | Peel Town Commissioners |
|
|
Coordinates: 54°13′16″N 4°41′28″W / 54.221°N 4.691°W
Peel (Manx: Purt ny h-Inshey – Port of the Island) is a town on the Isle of Man, in the parish of German. It is sometimes called the only "city" on the island, because it is the home of the island's cathedral.[1] It is the third largest town on the island after Douglas and Ramsey but the fourth largest settlement, as Onchan has the second largest population but is classified as a village. Peel is also a House of Keys constituency, electing one MHK, who, since 2006, has been Tim Crookall.
Geography
Peel is situated on the west coast of the Isle of Man, on the east side of the mouth of the River Neb. To the north west is St Patrick's Isle, connected to the mainland by a causeway, and to the west across the river is Peel Hill. The A1 road connects Peel with Douglas. The A3 road connects it with Kirk Michael and Ramsey. To the south of Peel is Castletown which was the old Isle of Man capital, and to the SE is Douglas.
Demographics
The Isle of Man census 2006 lists the population as 4,280, an increase of 13% from 3,785 in 2001.[2]
Governance
The local authority is Peel Town Commissioners who are based at the town hall, Derby Road.[3] There are currently nine commissioners. The day-to-day activities of the authority are run by the clerk.[4]
Town history
Peel has never been the capital of the island. However, Peel is the island's main fishing port and Peel Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Sodor and Man.
Peel is sometimes referred to as the "rose red city", due to the red sandstone used to build the castle and other important buildings.[5] As it is in the west, it is also called the "sunset city". Peel is a popular seaside destination for Manx residents and visitors in summer. It has narrow streets of fishermen's cottages and a Victorian promenade which was built on reclaimed land and a small construction line built for this purpose, as well as sandy beaches. Often at least one seal can be seen in or close to the harbour. For many years the main industries in the town were fishing, trading and shipbuilding.
There is evidence of local settlers in the Mesolithic Age on both St Patrick's Isle and the nearby Peel Hill, and Neolithic farmers are believed to have settled in the area. About 550, a Celtic monastery was founded on St Patrick's Isle.[6]
Norsemen first came to Mann around the year 800, and ruled the Isle for four-and-a-half centuries before finally ceding it to the King of Scotland in 1266.[7] Norsemen settled in Peel and used the harbour on the River Neb as a shelter for their longships. In 1228 Olaf the Black, King of Mann and the Isles, beached his fleet in the inlet. It was attacked and burned by his half-brother Ragnald. In 1266, as agreed by the Treaty of Perth, Norway's King Magnus VI ceded the Isle of Man to Scotland. The island came under English control in the 14th century.[1]
The town of Peel developed on the east bank of the river and the settlement was known as Holmtown until the 17th century. Later development, apart from the late 19th century guest house building on the sea front, has been inland, away from the coast. Peel Castle would eventually become a joint seat of government with Castle Rushen until the mid-17th century. The name Peel was given to the castle by the English rulers and the settlement then became Peeltown until about 1860. By the time the local councils were established in 1883, the name Peel referred to the town rather than the castle. In the 19th century, schooners built in Peel traded around northwest Europe and Peel fishing boats fished around the island and further afield to the southern coast of Ireland and near to Shetland. The harbour and breakwater were gradually improved, with much of the local income derived from the export of salted herring. By the 1880s, fishing was the main employer with about 3,000 men and boys employed, with ancillary businesses such as shipbuilding providing employment to hundreds more. However, with what is now seen as over-fishing, the number of boats leaving for Ireland dwindled from 300 in 1880 to a handful by 1915.[1]
After the railway arrived in Peel in 1873, Peel started to develop as a tourist resort, with guest houses and hotels built along the shoreline and headlands, and then the promenade was added. Tourism gradually grew in the town. During World War I Knockaloe Farm, at Patrick to the south of the town, was made into an internment camp and housed up to 30,000 German, Austrian and Turkish civilians. In 1940, guest houses at one end of the promenade were requisitioned to become Peveril Internment Camp, housing those suspected of having sympathy for the Nazi regime under Defence Regulation 18B. By the late 1960s the Peel to Douglas railway line had closed and tourism saw a decline. Fishing from Peel has seen periods of upturn and decline. For a number of years the annual Viking Festival has attracted visitors to the resort.[1] In 1979 Odin's Raven, the replica of a Viking longship, sailed from Norway to Peel to commemorate the Manx millennium of the 1000th annual sitting of the Isle of Man's Parliament, Tynwald.[8] In 2005, a new floodgate was installed at Peel to retain the waters of the River Neb and thus enable the moored boats to float at low tide.
Peel is the birthplace of Peel microcars, made by the Peel Engineering Company in the 1960s, the only Manx cars ever built.
Amenities
House of Manannan Museum
The House of Manannan Museum was built in 1997, costing £5.5 million, partly new and partly in the old Peel railway station. The museum covers the past and present of the island and houses Odin's Raven, a two-thirds scale replica of a Viking longship which had been built in and sailed from Norway, arriving on July 4, 1979 to celebrate the millennium of the High Court of Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man.[9]
Manx Transportation Museum
The Manx Transportation Museum, which opened in 2002, is housed in the former Brickworks building near the harbour.[10]
Leece Museum
The Leece Museum was established in 1984 and relocated to the Old Courthouse building in East Quay in 2000. The museum is devoted to objects, photographs and documents specifically relating to the town.[11]
Peel Castle
Peel Castle is situated on a small island, St Patrick's Isle, connected to the town by a causeway. It was built in 1392 by William La Scrope.[12] Peel Castle is also a tourist attraction and it is open in summer.
Kipper production
Kippers have been produced in Peel since at least the 19th century. Two kipper houses remain: Moore's Kipper Yard (established 1884) which provides tours of the factory demonstrating the preparation and smoking processes,[13] and Devereau's (also established 1884).[14]
Peel Centenary Centre
Peel Centenary Centre (Manx: Ynnyd Keead-Blein) is an arts and community centre based at the Centenary Hall.
Douglas to Peel railway line
Peel railway station opened on 1 July 1873, beside the harbour, as the western terminus of the Isle of Man Railway's Douglas to Peel line. The station closed to passengers on 7 September 1968. The station site is now a car park and boatyard, and the station building is used as part of the House of Manannan Museum. The former railway line is now a footpath and cycleway:[15][16] the path is close to the main road and leads to St John's, from where it continues to Douglas, the island's capital.[17]
Peel Harbour and Marina
Peel Harbour is the most active fishing port in the Isle of Man and is also used to import fuel oils. There is a fish and shellfish processing industry as well as the traditional art of kipper curing. The castle overlooks the entrance to the inner harbour, which is tidal. However a water retention scheme was built in July 2005 with a jetty from East Quay toward West Quay with an automatically operated gate-flap and a pedestrian swing bridge above it. The breakwater has deep-water berths with a lighthouse situated at the end. There is a marina where tourist boats and leisure boats are moored. Fishing boats are usually berthed on the breakwater.[18]
Peel Marina is currently under construction[19] at a cost of £3.1 million. 124 new berths are being installed by reclaiming part of the top end of the harbour for a boat park, with construction of a new harbour office.[20]
Sport and recreation
Peel A.F.C., who compete in the Isle of Man Football League, are based in Peel. They play their home games at the Peel FC Football Ground, Douglas Road. Formed in 1888, they are the most successful club on the island with 29 league titles and 30 victories in the Manx FA Cup. They were the first winners of the Isle of Man Football League in 1897. Peel Cricket Club are also based in the town, they are members of the Isle of Man Cricket Association.[21]
Valkyrs Hockey Club play their home matches at the Queen Elizabeth II High School astro turf pitch.[22] Peel Golf Club is an 18 hole golf course, totalling over 5870 yds off competitions tees, located on Rheast Lane which was established in 1895.[23] The clubhouse was opened in 1977 by Peter Alliss.[24] Western Athletics club is based at Queen Elizabeth II School. Western Swimming Pool is located on Derby Road.
The Headlands Field has a BMX track, football pitch, park and coastal pathway. There is also a telescope on the headlands which overlooks Peel promenade. The coastal path starts on the Headlands and leads all the way to Kirk Michael beach. Also on the Headlands is the park which has swings, climbing frames and exercise machines installed into it.
The Raad ny Foillan long distance coastal footpath opened in 1986 runs along the coast through Peel.
Religion
Peel Cathedral (the Cathedral church of St German), built in 1884, became a cathedral in 1980. It is the cathedral church for the Anglican diocese of Sodor and Man and is located in the centre of the town.[25]
Peel Elim Community Church holds Sunday morning meetings at the Clothworkers' School.[26]
Grace Baptist Church, founded in 1974 as an outreach of the Grace Baptist Church in Onchan,[25] is located in the former Peel Mathematical School building. It was purchased in 1984 and was renovated in 1997 and is listed as a "heritage building".[27]
Peel Methodist Church is located in Athol Street. There have been a number of Methodist chapels in Peel. The first one was Shore Road Wesley Methodist Chapel, built in 1777. It was used as a fishing-net factory between the 1850s and 1870s, and is now the Peel Youth Centre. A Primitive Methodist Chapel was built on Kirk Michael Street in 1835. It became a public hall when the Christian Street Chapel opened and is now used,with much redevelopment as a showroom. Peel Centenary Wesley Methodist Chapel was built in 1839 on Athol Street. Peel Primitive Methodist Chapel, built in 1878 it is now converted to flats. The organ is now in Jurby parish church.[28] The Isle of Man Christian Fellowship are based at the Philip Christian Centre on Christian Street. St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church is on Patrick Street.
There is also another Evangelical church in Peel named Living Hope which is now held in QE2 High School instead of being held in the Phillip Christian Center where it was formally held until mid 2011.
Education
The local secondary school is Queen Elizabeth II High School, which is on Douglas Road at the eastern edge of the town. It was opened on 5 July 1979 by Queen Elizabeth II, during her visit to the island to celebrate the millennium of Tynwald, and since then has grown to about 850 pupils with about 50 staff. The school is one of four main schools on the island, the others being Ramsey Grammar School, St Ninians High School, Castle Rushen High School and Ballakermeen High School.[29]
Peel Clothworkers' School is a primary school on Derby Road, which was founded in the 17th century after Philip Christian, a successful expatriate Peel businessman, bequeathed a sum of money in his will to provide for the education of the children in Peel. After changing sites in the town a number of times, as it grew and developed, it finally moved to Derby Road after World War II and officially opened there in 1953.[30] It is the third largest primary school in the Isle of Man. On 23 April 2008 new £3.3m facilities at the school were officially opened. New dining/assembly hall, kitchen, reception/office complex, meeting room, library, special needs unit, ICT suite had all opened in June 2007, while a refurbished sports hall, staff facilities, two more classrooms and a permanent nursery were added in 2008.[31]
Christian's Endowed National School was built in 1860. It was closed for some time in the mid-20th century before it was refurbished and became the Philip Christian Centre, and a registered building.[1]
House of Keys Elections
| Year | Election | Turnout | Candidates | Elected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 |
By Election |
? |
|
|
Resignation of Thomas Clague |
| 1903 |
General Election |
? |
|
|
|
| 1908 |
General Election |
Unopposed |
|
|
|
| 1913 |
General Election |
? |
|
|
|
| 1919 |
General Election |
? |
|||
| 1924 |
General Election |
? |
|||
| 1929 |
General Election |
? |
|||
| 1933 |
By Election |
? |
|
|
Called following the death of Christopher R. Shimmin, late husband of Marion Shimmin |
| 1934 | General Election | Unopposed |
|
|
|
| 1978 | By Election |
? |
|
|
|
| 1981 | General Election | ? |
|
|
|
| 1986 | General Election | 79.5% |
|
|
|
| 1991 |
General Election |
76.5% |
|
|
|
| 1996 |
General Election |
70.7% |
|
|
|
| 2001 |
General Election |
61.8% |
|
|
|
| 2006 |
General Election |
63.4% |
|
|
|
| 2011 |
General Election |
62.8% |
|
Tim Crookall |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Quilliam, Leslie (15 April 2003). "A Short History of Peel". Peel Heritage Trust. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "Isle of Man Census 2006 Summary Results" (PDF). Economic Affairs Division, Isle of Man Treasury. 2006. p. 3. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
- ↑ "Peel Town Commissioners". Peel Town Commissioners. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "Who are the Commissioners?". Peel Town Commissioners. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ [from Jenkinson's Practical Guide, 1874
- ↑ Peel Heritage Trust website
- ↑ "Tynwald in History" (The High Court of Tynwald)
- ↑ "The Voyage of Odin’s Raven" (North American Manx Association)
- ↑ "House of Manannan". Isle of Man Guide. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "Manx Transportation Museum". Isle of Man Guide. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "The Leece Museum". Peel Online. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "Peel Castle". Isle of Man Guide. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "Moore's". Retrieved 7 June 2012.
- ↑ "Devereau's". Retrieved 7 June 2012.
- ↑ "Douglas to Peel - Railway Lines Mountain Bike Trail". Isle of Man Government. 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ↑ "Douglas to Peel - Heritage Trail". Isle of Man Guide. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ↑ Wright, Paul (5 June 2007). "Disused stations site record, station name: Peel". disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ↑ "Peel - Isle of Man Harbours". Isle of Man Government. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ↑ "Peel Marina". Peel Town Commissioners. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ↑ "£3.1m Peel harbour improvements planned". Isle of Man Newspapers. 20 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ↑ "IOMCA Member clubs". Isle of Man Cricket Association. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "About Us - A Brief History". Valkyrs Hockey Club. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "About Peel Golf Club". Peel Golf Club. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "The Clubhouse". Peel Golf Club. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Peel Cathedral, Isle of Man". Grace Baptist Church. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ↑ "Peel Elim Community Church - Welcome". Elim Community Church. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ↑ "The church building and its origins". Grace Baptist Church. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ↑ "Peel Methodist Chapels". Manx Notebook. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- ↑ "About the school". Queen Elizabeth II High School. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "History". Peel Clothworkers' School. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "School facilities opened by proud Department member". Peel Clothworkers' School. 23 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
Other sources
- Ingram, Michael (1983) Voyage of Odin's Raven (Clearwater) ISBN 978-0-946363-00-1
External links
- Peel Online Community website for Peel
- Peel at isleofman.com
- Peel 2011: a photographic project - over 130 Peel businesses and organisations recorded in July 2011
- Peel Heritage Trust website
- People of Peel Community Forum website for Peel
- Viking Festival website
- House of Manannan website
- ‘Odin’s Raven’ Viking ship display
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