Sarah's Cottage, Isle of Man
Encyclopedia
Sarah's Cottage is a corner situated between the 9th Milestone and 10th Milestone road-side markers on the Snaefell Mountain Course
used for the Isle of Man TT
Races on Creg Willey's Hill and Ballavaish on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road in the parish of German
in the Isle of Man
.
This corner was part of the Highland Course and Four Inch Course
used for the Gordon Bennett Trial and Tourist Trophy
automobile car races held in the Isle of Man between 1904 and 1922. Also, Sarah's Cottage was part of the St. John's Short Course
used between 1907 and 1910 and part of the Snaefell Mountain Course used since 1911 for the Isle of Man TT Races and Manx Grand Prix
.
A small stone cottage on Creg Willey's Hill was occupied by Sarah Corlett of Cronk Dhoo in about 1900. As part of The Long Round the journey from Castletown to Ramsey using the primary A3 road made by horse-drawn carriers and later by Charabanc
many residents on the route provided food and by the roadside to travellers and the stop at Creg Willey's Hill by Sarah Corlett's cottage was a popular one for refreshments. The many hill-farms in the area also provided passing trade as school children attending the last school on the Isle of Man to still teach Manx Gaelic at the old Cronk-y-Voddy School and they referred to Sarah Corlett in in Manx Gaelic
as Sarah Vilyn ('Sarah of the Sweets'). The cottage is known as Sarah's by the many motorcycle enthusiasts who use the garden as a vantage point. The cottage was derelict until 1975 when the James Henry Shuttleworth the Lord of Abergwili
and his wife Betty, the Lady of Abergwili
from Wirral
arrived and totally renovated it and carried on the tradition of selling refreshments to passers by and taking in guests.To date (2011) the cottage is still occupied by James H.Shuttleworth although his wife Betty died in 1988.
During the 1965 Isle of Man TT
Races, heavy rain and strong cross-winds on the A18 Mountain Road section of the course dominated the Senior TT
. The notoriously difficult uphill section of the Mountain Course at Sarah's Cottage and the heavy rain and slippery conditions caused Giacomo Agostini
to slide-off on lap 2 of the 1965 Senior TT Race. This was followed on lap 3 when his MV Agusta teammate, Mike Hailwood
crashed at the same spot at Sarah's Cottage. The MV Agusta motorcycle sustained damage including a broken windscreen, twisted handlebars and flattened exhaust megaphones on the left-hand side. Left with torn leathers and a blooded nose, Mike Hailwood restarted the Senior TT Race and pitted on lap 4 to refuel and have the handlebars straighten. On lap 5 Hailwood made another unscheduled pit-stop to have a throttle-slide and part of a carburettor removed and a plug changed. Despite the MV Agusta motorcycle running on 3 cylinders and the 4th cylinder fully open, Mike Hailwood won the 1965 Senior TT Race at an average race speed of 91.69 mph from Joe Dunphy in second place winning by a margin of 2 minutes despite the fall at Sarah's Cottage.
Snaefell mountain course
Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course is a road-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix Races held in the Isle of Man from 1911 and 1923 respectively. The racing is held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald...
used for the Isle of Man TT
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
Races on Creg Willey's Hill and Ballavaish on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road in the parish of German
German (parish)
German is a parish in the sheading of Glenfaba in the Isle of Man. it formerly included Peel, where St German's Cathedral is located. It includes most of the village of St John's , where the Tynwald ceremony is located. It is a mainly hilly area, apart from a small coastal plain near...
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...
.
This corner was part of the Highland Course and Four Inch Course
Four Inch Course
Four-Inch Course is a road-racing circuit first used for the 1908 Tourist Trophy Race for racing automobiles. The races were held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald...
used for the Gordon Bennett Trial and Tourist Trophy
RAC Tourist Trophy
The International Tourist Trophy is an award given by the Royal Automobile Club and awarded semi-annually to the winners of a selected motor racing event each year in the United Kingdom. It was first awarded in 1905 and continues to be awarded to this day, making it the longest lasting trophy in...
automobile car races held in the Isle of Man between 1904 and 1922. Also, Sarah's Cottage was part of the St. John's Short Course
St. John's Short Course
The Short Course describes a road-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT held between 1907 and 1910...
used between 1907 and 1910 and part of the Snaefell Mountain Course used since 1911 for the Isle of Man TT Races and Manx Grand Prix
Manx Grand Prix
The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course every year for a two-week period usually spanning the end of August and early September. The 'MGP' or 'Manx' is considered to be the amateur riders' alternative to the Isle of Man TT Races held in May and June...
.
A small stone cottage on Creg Willey's Hill was occupied by Sarah Corlett of Cronk Dhoo in about 1900. As part of The Long Round the journey from Castletown to Ramsey using the primary A3 road made by horse-drawn carriers and later by Charabanc
Charabanc
A charabanc or "char-à-banc" is a type of horse-drawn vehicle or early motor coach, usually open-topped, common in Britain during the early part of the 20th century. It was especially popular for sight-seeing or "works outings" to the country or the seaside, organised by businesses once a year...
many residents on the route provided food and by the roadside to travellers and the stop at Creg Willey's Hill by Sarah Corlett's cottage was a popular one for refreshments. The many hill-farms in the area also provided passing trade as school children attending the last school on the Isle of Man to still teach Manx Gaelic at the old Cronk-y-Voddy School and they referred to Sarah Corlett in in Manx Gaelic
Manx language
Manx , also known as Manx Gaelic, and as the Manks language, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, historically spoken by the Manx people. Only a small minority of the Island's population is fluent in the language, but a larger minority has some knowledge of it...
as Sarah Vilyn ('Sarah of the Sweets'). The cottage is known as Sarah's by the many motorcycle enthusiasts who use the garden as a vantage point. The cottage was derelict until 1975 when the James Henry Shuttleworth the Lord of Abergwili
Abergwili
Abergwili is a village in Carmarthenshire, West Wales, lying near to the junction of River Towy and River Gwili.- Bishop's Palace :It is known for its Bishop's Palace, home to the Bishop of St David's since 1542, when Bishop William Barlow transferred his palace from St David's to Abergwili,...
and his wife Betty, the Lady of Abergwili
Abergwili
Abergwili is a village in Carmarthenshire, West Wales, lying near to the junction of River Towy and River Gwili.- Bishop's Palace :It is known for its Bishop's Palace, home to the Bishop of St David's since 1542, when Bishop William Barlow transferred his palace from St David's to Abergwili,...
from Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
arrived and totally renovated it and carried on the tradition of selling refreshments to passers by and taking in guests.To date (2011) the cottage is still occupied by James H.Shuttleworth although his wife Betty died in 1988.
During the 1965 Isle of Man TT
1965 Isle of Man TT
-1965 Isle of Man Lightweight TT 125cc final standings:3 Laps Mountain Course.-1965 Sidecar TT final standings:3 Laps Mountain Course.-1965 Isle of Man Lightweight TT 250cc final standings:...
Races, heavy rain and strong cross-winds on the A18 Mountain Road section of the course dominated the Senior TT
Senior TT
The Senior Tourist Trophy is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival; an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. The Senior TT is the Blue Riband event of the festival and takes place on the Friday of race week. The Marquis de Mouzilly St. Mars...
. The notoriously difficult uphill section of the Mountain Course at Sarah's Cottage and the heavy rain and slippery conditions caused Giacomo Agostini
Giacomo Agostini
-Non-riding career:Like John Surtees and Mike Hailwood before him, Agostini raced in Formula One cars. He competed in non-championship Formula One races in 1978. He competed in the European Formula 2 series in a Chevron B42-BMW and British Aurora Formula 1 with his own team and a Williams FW06...
to slide-off on lap 2 of the 1965 Senior TT Race. This was followed on lap 3 when his MV Agusta teammate, Mike Hailwood
Mike Hailwood
Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, MBE, GM was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer regarded by many as one of the greatest racers of all time. He was known as "Mike The Bike" because of his natural riding ability...
crashed at the same spot at Sarah's Cottage. The MV Agusta motorcycle sustained damage including a broken windscreen, twisted handlebars and flattened exhaust megaphones on the left-hand side. Left with torn leathers and a blooded nose, Mike Hailwood restarted the Senior TT Race and pitted on lap 4 to refuel and have the handlebars straighten. On lap 5 Hailwood made another unscheduled pit-stop to have a throttle-slide and part of a carburettor removed and a plug changed. Despite the MV Agusta motorcycle running on 3 cylinders and the 4th cylinder fully open, Mike Hailwood won the 1965 Senior TT Race at an average race speed of 91.69 mph from Joe Dunphy in second place winning by a margin of 2 minutes despite the fall at Sarah's Cottage.
External links
- Black Dub to Handley's Corner with Steve HislopSteve HislopSteven 'Hizzy' Hislop was a Scottish motorcycle racer. Hislop won the Isle of Man TT eleven times and also the British 250cc Championship and British Superbike championship ....
, 11 times TT winner - TT Spectator Guide Section Ballig to Sarah's Cottage
- Map of course