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A Tour of Onchan 2
Round The Edges.
Calvary Glen and Cottage
The wooded glen with its once open stream was part of a tract of land sold by the Duke of Athol in 1830 to Captain (late Major) Pollock. It went down to high water mark, back up to the top of the brows and as far as the creek Port-e-Vada (where the electric railway sheds are now located).
Captain Pollock built the last terrace of houses in Strathallan Crescent, Strathallan Lodge (now the Tramway Terminus) and Derby Castle a fanciful castle like structure which was actually two houses looking like one. In 1877 this became the centre of an entertainment complex of the same name and existed until the mid 1960s when it was demolished and replaced by The Aquadrome and Summerland.
Towards the top of the glen and literally perched on the steep embankment a very small cottage was built alongside the road which in those days was called Bunt Mill Hill but now Summerhill.
It would appear to have been occupied at one time by a gardener but in the 1950s it served as a small café used by those walking up Summerhill on their way to Onchan Park or beyond. It rejoiced in the name of “The Toby Jug Café”.
It is in fact in Douglas as the boundary with Onchan was changed in the early years of the twentieth century and crosses over from the present “Welcome to Onchan” sign, skirts the boundary wall of this property and then follows the top of the brows until descending at Hague Crescent to the cliffs just beyond the electric railway sheds.
The full size Calvary Group which stood out overlooking Douglas bay with station number eleven in front. When the glen was sold the stations were re-erected behind St Anthony's Church but the effect is less dramatic. |
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The glen passed into the hands of the Electric Railway Company when Strathallan Lodge was purchased in 1896 and converted into the Strathallan Hotel (now the Tramway Terminus). Although of little use to them, they retained ownership until 1957 when it was purchased by Father McGrath of St Anthony’s for £60. He had the paths re-laid, the pool relined and new entrances made on Strathallan Road, Summerhill and between Strathallan Crescent and the horse tram depôt. He laid it out as a “Way of the Cross” similar to that found in Lourdes, France. The statues were made of cast iron and foundered in France, the crucifixion group was life size with a cross made of Burmese teak. This group was floodlit at night and stood out above Douglas Promenade until a bungalow was built on the cliff top above it in 1966. Following the death of Father McGrath in 1982 the glen was closed due to lack of maintenance and eventually it was sold and the statues were relocated behind St Anthony’s Church. |
The little cottage was doubled in size in 1992 by building a similar sized unit in front of the original dwelling. Following the purchase of the glen, a very large extension was added, the pond was reformed, the original bridge opening was buried and a large section of the glen was filled and levelled. These works were carried out in 1998 and a high wall and fence were erected down Summer Hill shortly afterwards.
Strathhallan Cliff Cottage
Despite the original plan of the Cubbin brothers to only have a communal stable, three were built around the same time (1907 –09), behind 110 Summerhill Road, beside The Towers on Strathallan and here as part of Strathallan Cliff. In this instance it was a brick built structure close to the road. Probably in the 1930s a bungalow was attached to this as staff accommodation for Strathallan Cliff. When the architect Alex Davisdon bought the property in 1965 in order to build his new bungalow on the section of garden overlooking Douglas Bay, he converted the stables (1966) into a dwelling. This he painted pink and called Coachman’s Cottage. Both this and the bungalow were demolished in 2000/01 to make way for the new dwelling we see today. |
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A.J. Davidson's "Pink Cottage" created out of the brick built stables in the first decade of the twentieth century. |
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