Groudle Glen railway station
Encyclopedia
Manx Electric Railway
The Manx Electric Railway is an electric inter-urban tramway connecting Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It connects with the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway at its southern terminus at Derby Castle at the northern end of the promenade in Douglas, and with the Snaefell Mountain Railway at...
which serves the village of Groudle Glen
Groudle Glen
Groudle, a glen on the outskirts of Onchan on the Isle of Man, is formed in a valley leading to the sea at the small port of the same name. It was a remote hamlet boasting only a handful of small cottages until linked to the Manx Electric Railway in 1893, at which time it was developed as a...
in the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, and is situated between Groudle Lane
Groudle Lane Halt
Groudle Lane is a request stop on the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man, located below the line's first summit on the descent into the nearby valley of the same name....
and Eskadale
Eskadale Halt
Eskadale is an intermediate request stop on the east coast route of the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.-Location:...
on the route to Laxey
Laxey
Laxey is a village on the east coast of the Isle of Man. Its name derives from the Old Norse Laxa meaning 'Salmon River'.The village lies on the A2, the main Douglas to Ramsey road. Laxey Glen is one of the Manx National Glens, with Dhoon Glen being located close by...
and Ramsey
Ramsey
Ramsey may refer to:In places in the United Kingdom:* Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, small market town in England* Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England* Ramsey Abbey, historic ecclesiastical centre near Ramsey, Cambridgeshire...
.
Beginnings
The station was the first terminus of the line in 1893, the following year an extension was opened as far as LaxeyLaxey
Laxey is a village on the east coast of the Isle of Man. Its name derives from the Old Norse Laxa meaning 'Salmon River'.The village lies on the A2, the main Douglas to Ramsey road. Laxey Glen is one of the Manx National Glens, with Dhoon Glen being located close by...
and the station became an intermediate one. The building that still occupies the site, consisting of a large open waiting shelter incorporating ticket office, dates from the beginning of the railway, but has been unmanned for many years. Despite its somewhat basic appearance and lack of facilities, the station was one of the most popular on the line, serving the glen which operated as pleasure grounds, the adjacent hotel and nearby narrow gauge railway. The hill figure
Hill figure
A hill figure is a large visual representation created by cutting into a steep hillside and revealing the underlying geology. It is a type of geoglyph usually designed to be seen from afar rather than above. In some cases trenches are dug and rubble made from material brighter than the natural...
next to it reading "GROUDLE" was placed next to the shelter in a more recent date.
Centenary
The station was considerably refurbished in 1993 for the island's Year Of RailwaysYear of Railways
The Year of Railways was a series of special events held on the Isle of Man during 1993 to commemorate the centenary of the opening of the first section of the Manx Electric Railway from Douglas to Groudle in September 1893....
to mark the centenary of the electric line; at this time, as well as receiving remedial attention to the shelter itself (including paving of the area and repainting, and the addition of old-fashioned advert signs) the surrounding area was also smartened up, with stone walling put in place denoting the station environs, and cast concrete letters being installed in the banking denoting the station name. A plaque marking the occasion of the centenary was unveiled by the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
Sir Laurence Jones and remains in situ today.
Postbox
The station also features a post box, dating from the early part of the 20th century when the Manx Electric RailwayManx Electric Railway
The Manx Electric Railway is an electric inter-urban tramway connecting Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It connects with the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway at its southern terminus at Derby Castle at the northern end of the promenade in Douglas, and with the Snaefell Mountain Railway at...
held the contract for collection of mail at all stations and halts along its routes. The contract was lost in 1975 when the railway closed for the winter and could therefore not provide year-round collection facilities. Despite this, the station retains the post box, which is now cleared by Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
staff in road vehicles. This practice continues at the other stopping places on the line, and is one of the distinctive features of even the most basic and remote of the line's stopping places.
Connections
One of the main draws to the area today is that Groudle GlenGroudle Glen
Groudle, a glen on the outskirts of Onchan on the Isle of Man, is formed in a valley leading to the sea at the small port of the same name. It was a remote hamlet boasting only a handful of small cottages until linked to the Manx Electric Railway in 1893, at which time it was developed as a...
has its own heritage railway nearby, the Groudle Glen Railway
Groudle Glen Railway
The Groudle Glen Railway is a narrow gauge railway north of Douglas in the Isle of Man which is owned and operated by members of the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association and operates on summer Sundays; May to September and Wednesday evenings in July and August along with a number of...
, which was built in 1896 to serve the zoo which had opened 1893 on the outer edge of the glen. The two-foot gauge line ran intermittently after the Second World War and finally closed in 1962. It was restored in the 1980s by the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association
Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association
The Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association is a railway preservationist group dedicated to the continued operation of the Isle of Man Railway on the Isle of Man Since its inception in 1966 the group have provided volunteer workers and a watchdog role and commenced its own project in the...
and reopened fully in 1992. The line now operates each weekend in the summer and for certain other events. The railway's main station is a short but steep walk from Groudle Glen Station through the glen.
Groudle Glen Hotel
Directly opposite the station is the now closed Groudle Glen Hotel which was built upon the arrival of the railway in 1893 and designed by the renowned architect Baillie ScottBaillie Scott
Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott was a British architect and artist He was born at Beards Hill, St Peters near Ramsgate, Kent, the second eldest of ten children....
. It operated as a public bar for many years before being sold by the local brewery in 1999 and converted into a restaurant known as "La Casa". Its remote location ensured that the venture was not entirely successful; however, the new owners did much aesthetic work on the building, restoring stained glass windows, recreating historical signage and completely repainting the building including much of the original detailing such as the "three legs" motifs in the cornice work.
Route
See also
- Manx Electric Railway StationsManx Electric Railway stationsThere are many local stopping places on the Manx Electric Railway and, as such, trams may stop wherever it is convenient to do so; listed to the right are all the acknowledged stopping places. The primary stopping places that have station areas built around them are as follows, and are those...
- Groudle Glen RailwayGroudle Glen RailwayThe Groudle Glen Railway is a narrow gauge railway north of Douglas in the Isle of Man which is owned and operated by members of the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association and operates on summer Sundays; May to September and Wednesday evenings in July and August along with a number of...
- Groudle GlenGroudle GlenGroudle, a glen on the outskirts of Onchan on the Isle of Man, is formed in a valley leading to the sea at the small port of the same name. It was a remote hamlet boasting only a handful of small cottages until linked to the Manx Electric Railway in 1893, at which time it was developed as a...
Sources
- Manx Electric Railway Stopping Places (2002) Manx Electric Railway Society
- Island Images: Manx Electric Railway Pages (2003) Jon Wornham
- Official Tourist Department Page (2009) Isle Of Man Heritage Railways