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Manx Museum
This
museum is a great place to learn more about the history of the Isle of
Man, which quite a number of exhibits displaying items from the
prehistoric and the Viking era. |
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Details
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Opening
Hrs:
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Monday to
Saturday: 10am - 5pm
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Pricing:
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Free admission |
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Contact:
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Tel : 01624
648000, Fax : 01624 648001 |
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Getting
Here:
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Manx Museum,
Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 3LY. |
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Douglas Horse Trams
Running only from spring to
early autumn, these horse-drawn trams first began running in 1876, and
today are the oldest working horse tram left in the world. Running along
the promenade from the Sea Terminal to the Manx Electric Railway
station, it is one of the most unusual and evocative public transport
systems any visitor will be able to take nowadays, and therefore
recommended!
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Gaiety Theatre
This theatre was built in
1899 and the longest-running and most prestigious centre for performing
arts on the Isle of Man. For the architecturally inclined, it is also
noted as the one of the best surviving works of the architect Frank
Matcham.
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The Tower of Refuge
This tiny tower standing on
Conister Rock in Douglas Bay was built on the orders of Sir William
Hillary to serve as a sanctuary for shipwrecked sailors (the Conister
Rock was infamous for causing shipwrecks). In 1931, William Wordsworth
visited the site and wrote his poem 'Tower of Refuge' which is how the
sanctuary received its name.
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Great Union Camera Obscura
The original camera obscura
was built in 1887, and is unusual for such things for having 12
individual mirrors, which offered a 360 degree view over the surrounding
area. Though this original was destroyed in a fire, a replica was
constructed which, while not having the same history as the first,
offers an equally lovely view.
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Manx Electric
Railway
Connecting the Horse Trams
to Derby Castle some 17 miles away, the electric-powered trains is one
of the easiest and loveliest ways to see the scenery along the east
coast, following a steep, twisting route through the towns of the east
coast before terminating at Ramsey, about 2 hrs journey one way. The
service still uses two original tramcars dating back to 1893, making
them the world's oldest original tramcars.
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Isle of Man Steam Railway
Running from Douglas to Port
Erin on the south side of the island, this railway built in the 1800s is
yet another archaic form of transport which has survive and thrived on
the island, while its counterparts on the mainland have disappeared.
Take the train to see the rolling farmlands of the south, and pass
through some picturesque stations and rural communities on the way to
Port Erin.
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