The Fairy Glade
It’s hard to believe when enjoying the tranquil beauty of Glen Roy that this part of Laxey was once an industrial area, taking advantage of the natural water supply. It had many mills, including Robert Corlett’s dyeworks and Southward’s woollen mill. These were downstream of a former duck pond, which served as the mill reservoir.
These early mills were behind the site of the Laxey Glen Flour Mill, built in 1860, which included a turbine. A more powerful water source was needed for this so a mill race was built. If you look up to your left as you walk up the glen, you can still see the remains of the structure.
This left the reservoir redundant until it became part of Victoria Park, now better known as Laxey Glen Gardens, when it was used as a boating lake. This was where the children’s playground now stands. Incidentally, if you walk by the pavilion, don’t mistake what looks like a shallow paddling pool for a former water feature, this contained a removable sprung wooden dance floor in the glen’s heyday. Dancing at night was facilitated by the surrounding gas lamps.
The creation of the glen began in 1800 with a 50 year era of tree planting, but its popularity escalated when the electric tramway from Douglas reached Laxey in 1894. It terminated near the entrance to the glen as the Glen Roy viaduct wasn’t built until 1898.
The glen has now been allowed to return to a more natural state. Go beyond the former tourist attractions to a part of the glen we think might be an ideal spot to catch a glimpse of the occasional Manx fairy. If you see them, please say hello to them and be nice – we want them to protect the cache for us!
Please note, the path is uneven and may be muddy in places, and there is a small stile to negotiate. The GPS signal may be variable at GZ, the hint should help.