Ramsey
| |
|---|---|
 Ramsey Quayside and fishing boats with Albert Tower seen in the top-right | |
  Ramsey Location within theIsle of Man | |
| Population | 8,288 (2021 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SC449943 |
| • Douglas | 15 miles (24 km) |
| Parish | Ramsey |
| Sheading | Ayre,Garff |
| Crown dependency | Isle of Man |
| Post town | ISLE OF MAN |
| Postcode district | IM8 |
| Dialling code | 01624 / 07624 |
| Police | Isle of Man |
| Fire | Isle of Man |
| Ambulance | Isle of Man |
| House of Keys | Ramsey Town |
| |
Ramsey (Manx:Rhumsaa) is a coastal town in the north of theIsle of Man. It is the island's largest town afterDouglas was granted city status in 2024.[2][a] Ramsey's population is 8,288 according to the2021 Census.[1] It has one of the biggest harbours on the Island, and has a prominent semi-derelictpier, called theQueen's Pier (currently under restoration). It was formerly one of the main points of communication withScotland. Ramsey has also been a route for several invasions by theVikings andScots.
Ramsey is also known as "Royal Ramsey" due to royal visits byQueen Victoria andPrince Albert in 1847 and byKing Edward VII andQueen Alexandra in 1902.[3][4]
The name of the town derives from theOld Norsehrams-á, meaning "wildgarlic river",[5] More specifically, it refers to the plant known as ramsons, buckrams or wild garlic, in LatinAllium ursinum.
The Isle of Man has been an important strategic location in conflicts between the Norse rulers of Man and the Isles, and the Scots and English. Smugglers and pirates were also common at many times in Manx history.
Ramsey was the landing place of the Viking warriorGodred Crovan around 1079: he was determined to subjugate the Island and make it his kingdom. On Sky Hill, two miles (3 kilometres) inland, an importantbattle was fought; this resulted in a period of Viking rule, influencing the development of the Manx nation and many of the traditions that continue today.
Godred's son,King Olaf, was murdered by his nephew Reginald near Ramsey harbour in 1154, and two years later theChronicle of Man states that the ships of Somerled came to Ramsey during a conflict which would lead to the division of the kingdom of Man and to Somerled taking the Kingship of the Isles (the Hebrides).
On 17 May 1313Robert the Bruce landed at Ramsey "with a multitude of ships" from the fleet of his friend, Angus Og Macdonald, Lord of the Isles,[6] on his way to capturingCastle Rushen.
CaptainFrançois Thurot, a then-famous French privateer, and notorious scourge of the British fleet, was defeated off the north-west of the Island in February 1760. His badly damaged, captured ship was brought intoRamsey Bay after the battle. Thurot's actions had been part of a planned French invasion of Britain. In previous years Thurot had traded between Ireland and the Isle of Man and had been well liked by many Manx people, and regarded as an intelligent gentleman. Several cottages and bridges were built using timbers from the wrecked ship: hence Thurot Cottage and Thurot Bridge.
Pirate radio stationRadio Caroline North was based inRamsey Bay from 1964–68 and supplied with provisions from Ramsey.
During World War II, thirty boarding houses on the North Shore were requisitioned for theMooragh Internment Camp.
Ramsey is in the sunniest area of the Isle of Man, with relatively low rainfall. This is because Ramsey is in a 'rain shadow' just to the north-east of the hills at North Barrule, on the edge of the northern plain of the Island. Rain clouds coming from the prevailing wind direction, the south-west, tend to lose most of their moisture over the hills before they reach Ramsey.
Ramsey is built mostly on sandy ground and has miles of sandy beaches. To the north of Ramsey the beaches run continuously to the north tip of the Island. On the southern edge of Ramsey, at the edge of the hills, are a network of woods and glens: Ballure Walk, Lhergy Frissel and Elfin Glen. TheMillennium Way and other paths and roads lead up to and across the upland heath ('the tops' and 'the hills').
Ramsey is home to the second busiest port on the Island, handling a wide range of general cargo. The port was formerly used as an operating base by theIsle of Man Steam Packet Company for both cargo and passenger services. The company operated scheduled services toLiverpool andWhitehaven in addition to which during the summer months steamers would call at the Queen's Pier whilst en-route toDouglas fromBelfast andArdrossan.
The port is the headquarters of the local shipping line Mezeron, as it was formerly for the Ramsey Steamship Company, until it ceased trading in 2014.[7]
Star of India is an iron-hulled sailing ship, built in 1863 in Ramsey, Isle of Man, as the full-rigged ship Euterpe.
Ramsey serves as the main terminus for the northern network ofBus Vannin, providing local services toAndreas,Ballaugh,Jurby,Sulby andBride. In addition it provides an on-demand service toRonaldsway Airport and main services toPeel and toDouglas viaLaxey.
At one time the town was served by both theManx Electric Railway and theIsle of Man Railway. The first rail link was established by the Isle of Man Railway in 1879, transferring to theManx Northern Railway in 1880. The line ran viaSulby,Ballaugh andKirk Michael toSt John's, where it connected to the main Douglas – Peel line and with theFoxdale Railway. The railway was largely financed by the prosperity of theFoxdale Mines for which it was used to haul ore trains fromFoxdale to the Ramsey quayside for shipment. Return trains would haul coal back to Foxdale to power the pumping houses of the mines.
Ramsey is also the northern terminus of theManx Electric Railway. Initially linking Douglas to Laxey, the line from Laxey to Ramsey was opened on 2 August 1898[8] by the Lieutenant Governor,John Henniker-Major, 5th Baron Henniker. At that date the line ran as far asBallure, on the outskirts of Ramsey. The final extension to the centre of Ramsey was opened on 24 July 1899.
For a period between 1935 and 1937Hall Caine Airport just outside the town operated scheduled air services to English, Scottish and Irish airports. Both Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine's sons,Gordon Hall Caine andDerwent Hall Caine, were particularly keen on the development of an aerodrome on the site, as they saw it as another memorial to their late father. They also wished to involve the Ramsey town commissioners in the project, as they felt the aerodrome would bring immense benefit to the town.[9] Hall Caine Airport officially came into being on 30 April 1935.
Scheduled services proved successful in 1935 and 1936, withHillman's Airways and laterBritish Airways Ltd andNorthern and Scottish Airways providing scheduled services toBelfast,Glasgow,Blackpool andLiverpool where the passenger could connect with services toLondon. There was also an air link between Hall Caine and Ronaldsway Airport for air mail. The primary reason for the cessation of services from Hall Caine was a rationalization of services operated by Northern and Scottish. Northern and Scottish andManx Airways Ltd entered into an undertaking at Ronaldsway.[10] This resulted in Manx Airways covering the schedules to Liverpool, Blackpool, Carlisle and Belfast which were formerly operated by Northern and Scottish, leaving only the Glasgow service being operated from Hall Caine.[11][12] This was a severe blow to Ramsey, coming as it did at the beginning of the tourist season. Services from Hall Caine to Glasgow resumed in early June, aimed primarily at the increased traffic as a result of theTT Races which continued throughout the month.
The Ramsey Ratepayers Association petitioned theLieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man,Sir Montague Butler, with a view to his intervening to preserve commercial air operations from Hall Caine.[13] The cancellation by Northern and Scottish Airways also led to a special meeting of the Ramsey Commissioners. It was hoped that Railway Air Services would have commenced operations from Hall Caine, but any hope proved unfounded.[12][14]
Piloted byCapt. McGeow, the final commercial flight from Hall Caine Airport departed at 4:15 pm on Saturday, 2 October 1937.[15][16]
Ramsey (Plaza) tram station is the northern terminus of theManx Electric Railway, and Ramsey is the start of the mountain section of theSnaefell Mountain Course used for the annualIsle of Man TT andManx Grand Prixmotorcycle races. A popular vantage point isRamsey Hairpin, where enthusiasts gather to watch the racers. Another popular spot is Parliament Square in the middle of town. There are also opportunities for walking, cycling, kayaking, and other outdoor activities.
TheMillennium Way footpath ends 1 mi (1.6 km) from the centre of the town on theA3 road at the foot of Sky Hill.
Mooragh Park, on the north side of the Sulby river, is a 19th-century park with a large boating lake where boats (canoes, pedaloes etc) are available for hire. It was originally part of a salt marsh but was purchased and developed by the town to encourage visitors. Mooragh Park has a small water park, two cafés, a BMX club, skate park, tennis courts, basketball area, outdoor exercise equipment, and a children's playground. The park is mostly on the level and has disabled toilets.
Ramsey's original swimming pool in the town centre was converted into aten-pin bowling alley in 2010.[17]The new Northern Swimming Pool opened in January 2009 on the Mooragh Promenade.[18]
TheAlbert Tower was built to commemorate the royal visit ofPrince Albert on 20 September 1847. Queen Victoria'sRoyal Yacht anchored in the bay, when heavy seas made it impossible to enterDouglas Harbour. Recovering from seasickness, Victoria remained on the yacht, leaving Prince Albert to venture ashore. He climbed to the top of the hill, from where he viewed the town of Ramsey and the northern plain. The hill was renamed Albert Mount and a year later the tower's foundation was laid. The tower is made ofgranite and rises 45 feet (14 m) high. It is a landmark not only for the town of Ramsey, but also for the north of the Isle of Man.[19] There is a public path leading up the hill for people to visit the tower.
Another distinctive landmark of the town is the Queen's Pier, an iron pier which was built in 1886. It is about 650 metres or 700 yards long. As well as recreational purposes, the pier had a landing stage for visiting ships. It has been closed for many years due to health and safety concerns, although subject to many re-opening appeals. It had its owntramway. The Queen's Pier has had significant renovation work, and is open for visitors on Sunday afternoons in the summer. The lease has been taken on by the Queens Pier Restoration Trust, who aim to restore it gradually.
The Grove Museum of Victorian Life (Manx National Heritage) is located in the northern suburbs on the A9 (Andreas Road).
Among the various leisure venues in Ramsey are a swimming pool, bowling alley, a rural museum (the Grove Museum of Rural Life), and Milntown House at the western edge of the town.
There are several sports clubs, including arugby club, afootball club andRamsey Youth Centre and Old Boys F.C., ahockey team, aGaelic football team, Ramsey Ravens swimming team and a golf club. There is an active sailing club, the Manx Sailing and Cruising Club, which promotes an annual Round the Island sailing race as well as regularly scheduled dinghy and cruiser races. Ramsey Angling Club holds regular sea angling competitions.
Ramsey has a modern junior school, a secondary comprehensive school, and theRamsey Cottage Hospital.
The town has a number of churches, including:Our Lady, Star of the Sea & St Maughold Church andSt Paul's.
Ramsey has an active shipyard and industrial workshops. The main street has a range of independent shops, including a butcher, ironmonger, and shops selling clothes, gifts and homewares. There are several pubs, cafes, restaurants and a Farmers' Market every Saturday. The town's Mooragh Park area has a 3-star hotel.
The harbour is used by fishing and small leisure boats, and small freight boats from the Mezeron shipping company. There is aswing bridge for pedestrians and vehicles, built in 1892, that crosses the harbour.
Wildlife around Ramsey reflects the mix of landscape: with sandy coast andestuary at Ramsey, woodedglens and rocky coasts just to the south-east, and hills and moors to the south-west, plusBallaugh Curragh (wooded swamp) and productive farmland inland, and isolated sandy shores and dunes to the north.
Ramsey Bay was the Island's first Marine Nature Reserve, set up to protect fisheries and marine wildlife. The protected area acts as a 'nursery area' for fish and other creatures and plants, which can then move out to restock surrounding areas.
Ramsey shore and estuary provide a feeding area for birds, includingoystercatcher,redshank andringed plover on the shore, and geese, swans and ducks in the harbour. The inner harbour footpath (toward Mooragh Park) is a scrap of rich originalsaltmarsh habitat plus many land plants (also a sun trap). There is a big patch of salt marsh in Poyll Dooey park up the harbour.
Just south-east of Ramsey, inMaughold, are rugged wooded glens open to the public, and rocky coasts, headlands and beaches, with much of the area accessible by road, footpath, and electric tram.
Inland wildlife areas include Sulby Glen (a rugged grassy glen full of bluebells in spring) andBallaugh Curragh: a wildlife-rich patchwork of semi-wilderness, swamp, woodland and agriculture, continuous since the last Ice Age.
Maughold Head
Seals, cormorants, chough, wildfowl and seabirds, coastal wildflowers.
The Ayres/Point of Ayre
Lichen heath, sand-dunes,little terns,Arctic terns, winter migratory geese, divers,gannets, other wildfowl,basking sharks,seals, lizards, various butterflies and moths. Includes theManx Wildlife Trust[20] Ayres Nature Discovery Centre and Nature Trail, and the Manx BirdLife Point of Ayre National Reserve which includes areas of open water.
Ramsey has been a centre for the revival of Manx traditional music and culture. 'Shennaghys Jiu' ("Tradition Today") Celtic music festival runs in springtime, usually late March. There are two separate live folk music nights at the Mitre Hotel, on Thursdays (singaround) and Fridays (Irish session).
The busiest times of year are Shennagys Jiu in March, Cyclefest in May, TT fortnight in late May / early June, (especially Ramsey Sprint Day, when thousands of biking fans visit to watch motorbike drag sprints on Mooragh Promenade), Manx Grand Prix/ Manx Classic motorbike race fortnight in late August, Ramsey National Week in early July, with many music and culture events, and 'Ramsey Rocks' held on the Quayside one Friday in summer.
The local authority is the Ramsey Town Commissioners. Ramsey is also aHouse of Keys constituency electing twoMHKs. As of 2021, these wereAlex Allinson (independent) andLawrie Hooper (Liberal Vannin).Ramsey Town Hall was completed in 2002.[21]
This information is incomplete.
| Year | Election | Turnout | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1867 | General Election |
| |
| 1875 | |||
| 1881 | |||
| [many years] | Mr. Cowell elected (ca. 1900 moved to Red Deer, Alberta)[22] | ||
| 1901 | By-Election | ? |
|
| 1903 | General Election | ? |
|
| 1929 | General Election | ? |
|
| 1934 | General Election | ? |
|
| 1946 | General Election | ? |
|
| 1951 | |||
| 2 MHKs now elected for Ramsey. Had been 1 since first election in 1867. | |||
| 1956 | General Election | ? |
|
| 1962 | General Election | ? |
|
| 1981 | General Election | ? |
|
| 1984 | By-Election | ? |
|
| 1986 | General Election | 66% |
|
| 1991 | General Election | 70.6% |
|
| 1996 | General Election | 66.5% |
|
| 2001 | General Election | 66% |
|
| Following the elevation to theCouncil of Leonard Singer. | |||
| 2003 | By-Election | 66.5% |
|
| 2006 | General Election |
| |
| 2011 | General Election |
| |
In 2014,Tynwald approved recommendations from the Boundary Review Commission which saw the reform of the Island's electoral boundaries.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Vannin | Lawrie Lee Hooper | 1,657 | 26.3 | |
| Independent | Alexander John Allinson | 1,557 | 24.7 | |
| Independent | Robert Douglas Cowell | 679 | 10.8 | |
| Independent | Luke Parker | 664 | 10.5 | |
| Independent | Simon Edgar Mann | 555 | 8.8 | |
| Independent | Erica Lesley Spencer | 438 | 7.0 | |
| Independent | Leonard Ian Singer | 405 | 6.4 | |
| Independent | Jonathan David Kinrade | 345 | 5.5 | |
| Total votes | 6,300 | |||
| Total ballots | 3,367 | |||
| Rejected ballots | 4 | |||
| Turnout | 3,371 | 53.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 6,288 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Alexander John Allinson | 2,946 | 47.1 | |
| Liberal Vannin | Lawrie Lee Hooper | 1,471 | 23.5 | |
| Independent | Leonard Ian Singer | 886 | 14.2 | |
| Independent | Nicholas Lyndon Crowe | 716 | 11.4 | |
| Independent | John David McDonough | 236 | 3.8 | |
| Total votes | 6,255 | |||
| Total ballots | 3,485 | |||
| Rejected ballots | 15 | |||
| Turnout | 3,500 | 61.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,726 | |||
Media related toRamsey, Isle of Man at Wikimedia Commons
| Current | |
|---|---|
| Defunct | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
