In the C16th, Douglas was a tiny settlement of a few houses clustered around the mouth of the Douglas River. Castletown was the capital and power house of the island.
Douglas began to grow in the C18th as a result of the smuggling trade, a better harbour than at Castletown and good links to Liverpool. The harbour developed and merchant’s houses and warehouses were built along North Quay.
St Matthew’s Church was built on the quayside as parishioners had to walk over a mile to attend services at Braddan Parish Church
Douglas didn’t really begin to develop as a port until the introduction of steamships at the start of the C19th which provided a much more reliable service than sail. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company running the service is the oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company in the world.
A breakwater and piers were built to form an outer harbour. It is the only deep water harbour on the island and boats can dock at all stages of the tide. The harbour is now a popular mooring place for large cruise ships that call in for the day during the summer months.
The modern Sea Terminal is still the first sight for most visitors to the island. Seen from above, the terminal takes the shape of the three Legs of Man, with a central tower.
The inner harbour is now a marina, which is accessible for about 2.5 hours on each side of high tide.
Despite the breakwaters, the waters of the bay are still dangerous if there are easterly storms. After witnessing two shipwrecks, Sir William Hillary, a Douglas resident, drew up plans for a lifeboat service manned by trained crews, intended not only for the Isle of Man, but for all of the British coast. The first lifeboat station was built in Douglas in 1802 and by 1825 was the first station to have a purpose built lifeboat. The original lifeboat station closed in 1895 and the present station on south quay was established in 1874.
Sir William was also responsible for the building of the Tower of Refuge in Douglas Bay after Steam Packet St George foundered on Conister Rock in 1830. He realised it was too far to swim to the shore and the Tower of Refuge in Douglas Bay was built on 1832 to offer offer shelter and provisions for sailors awaiting rescue. The tower originally had a bell to summon help and a supply of bread and fresh water. It is possible to walk to the tower at very low spring tides, although the tide comes in very quickly and visitors can be stranded.
With the start of a regular and reliable service from Liverpool, wealthy holiday makers soon arrived in Douglas. 60.000 visitors in 1870 had grown to over 310,000 by 1887. Grand hotels grew up along the sea front to accommodate them and a promenade with gardens was built.
St Matthew’s Church on the quayside, was too small to accommodate the increasing population and a new church, St George’s, was built on a hill overlooking the town. This was patronised by the gentry who had found St Matthew’s smelly and unable to meet their spiritual and social needs.
It is the only church in Douglas to have a graveyard . Most parishioners had the right of burial at Braddan and it was mainly used by incomers to the island or bodies washed ashore after ship wrecks. Sir William Hillary is buried here.
Many of the narrow maze like older streets were demolished in slum clearances between 1870-1920 to be replaced by wider streets, lined with imposing buildings.
Railways were built to carry holiday makers to Peel on the west coast as well as Port St Mary and Port Erin at the southern end of the island. Douglas Station is a splendid red brick building.
Horse trams have been running along the Promenade since 1876 and is still using some of the original tram cars. It took holiday makers to the terminus of the Manx Electric Tramway at Derby Castle.
Derby Castle was the site of a castellated early C19th villa that later became a pleasure centre with theatre and ballroom. This was demolished in the 1960s to make way for a massive concrete entertainment centre, Summerland, the biggest and most innovative indoor entertainment centre in the world, This suffered a disastrous fire in 1973 when 50 people were killed and 80 injured. The site was rebuilt on a much smaller scale, it was demolished in 2005, leaving the concrete remains as an eye sore against the cliff face.
The lower slopes of Douglas Head became a favoured spot for ‘desirable’ residences of the wealthy. The grassy slopes of the headland became a place of entertainment and for picnics with a camera obscura. There was a even an open air theatre and hotel.
Little remains of the cliff railway built to carry visitors to top.
A Marine Drive opened as a toll road between Douglas Head and Port Soderick in 1891 and the Southern Electric Tramway soon followed. This was a dramatic run along the edge of the cliffs with viaducts and bridges. The tramway closed in 1939 and little is left of the line. One of the tramcars is preserved at the National Tramway museum in Crich.
Cars can still use the first part of the drive but the rest is now a popular walk. The splendid toll house gates are still there. Pedestrians used the small gate, road traffic the middle gate which had splendid wrought iron gates controlling entry. Charabancs and coaches were not allowed. The other gate was used by the tramway
Douglas became the capital of the Isle of Man in 1865 when Tynwald, the Manx Parliament, moved here from Castletown.
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