LAXEY WHEEL ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

In April next year Manx National Heritage will open a major new temporary exhibition at the Manx Museum on the history of the Laxey Mines, to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the opening of the ‘Lady Isabella’.

Staff at the Museum hope that members of the public whose forebears may have been miners will come forward with relevant artifacts for the exhibition. Photographs and documents can be copied, whilst objects could be loaned to Manx National Heritage for the duration of the exhibition, which is April - September 2004.

Curator of Social History Matthew Richardson, who is researching the new exhibition, said,

‘One of the things we are particularly looking out for are miners’ personal effects, things like watches, pipes, membership cards for Friendly societies, and other items which might have belonged to a grandfather who was a miner at Laxey. Other items we would be particularly interested in seeing would be miner’s tallies, used by the shift foreman to record exactly how many miners had gone underground. We understand that these were used by the Great Laxey Mining Company around 1900, but we do not have an example in the museum collections.’

To introduce the celebrations of the 150th anniversary Manx National Heritage is holding an illustrated lecture by Andrew Scarffe on ‘The Great Laxey Wheel’ - the 150th Year, in the Manx Museum Lecture Theatre on Friday 21st November 2003 at 7.30p.m.. Andrew is the author of an authoritative new book on the subject of the Laxey Mines which will be published for the anniversary year. Admission to the lecture is free.

If you can help by loaning photographs or artifacts, please contact Matthew Richardson at the museum on 648000 or e-mail him at Matthew.Richardson@mnh.gov.im