A Tour of Onchan 2
Round The Edges.

St Anthony’s Church

The site of the church was purchased by Canon Crookall of St Mary’s Church in Douglas in 1923. He was given a former 1914 – 18 alien internee camp recreation hut by Rudolf Braillie who had purchased the huts from the Knockaloe Camp at Patrick on the west of the island.

Plans were prepared by Jos E. Teare, architect of Douglas but the timber building with a boarded and felted roof had to comply with the building bye-laws with regard to fire proofing and so when it was re-erected it was sheeted externally with corrugated iron. The walls were painted green and the roof a red colour and that’s how this temporary building remained until it was demolished. It also had a WC at the request of the Commissioners.

St Anthony's Church in its last days prior to its demolition. Here the building erected on a temporary basis in 1914-15 at Knockaloe Alien Interment Camp had a second lease of life in 1923 and served for over 60 years as the Catholic church for Onchan.

The building was quickly erected and in use in 1923 as a chapel of ease to St Mary’s in Douglas. It was connected to the Manx Electric Railway Company’s supply of 550 volts which meant lights had to the switched on in groups of five as they were 110 volts each. This insignificant building however had an altar designed in 1936 by the famous architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott who was also responsible for the design of a pieta behind the high altar and limed oak benches, all of which were intended for a permanent church on the site when built. The church was demolished in 1986.

The new church was designed by Messrs Massey and Garrett of Warrington but during its construction the supervision was taken over by John Cryer architect of Braddan.

Only the benches made it into the new church but because of its shape they were joined with brass straps greatly destroying the clean lines of the original benches made in Wavertree. The limed oak was also stained and varnished.

The new church was the gift of Albert Gubay a developer who had settled on the island. A feature of the church is an engraved window by Christopher Spittall which shows the figure of Christ. When viewed against the vista out over Douglas Bay it resembles Christ walking on the water. The idea was from something similar Mr Gubay had seen in New Zealand in a church alongside Lake Rotorua.

Lourdes Grotto

The original Lourdes Grotto in Ridgeway Road taken during one of the outdoor services held each summer. The photograph was taken during the 1960s and illustrates how natural the structure looked with about 15 years of weathering and natural vegetation.

Behind St Anthony’s Church and adjoining Onchan Park is Lourdes Grotto which was built in 1951 as a replica of the natural cave at Lourdes in France where the Blessed Virgin appeared to the child Bernadette in 1858. It was built using railway metals, expanded mesh and a concrete slurry. Inside were a couple of rooms which were used in connection with church services held at the grotto. The Grotto was used for outdoor services in the summer months as the tiny church of St Anthony could not cope with the large attendances. The Grotto, The Calvery Glen and the Lourdes Social Centre were all the brainchild and promotion of Father James McGrath who died in 1982.

In 1985 when vegetation was being cleared from the roof there was a partial collapse of the structure which was rebuilt but it never looked the same. Today the building also provides a large room for social activities in connection with St Anthony’s Church but served as a temporary chapel for some services during the construction of the present church.

In the corner of the grounds is a Calvery Group presented by Mr George Higgins and under which Father McGrath at one time indicated he would like to be buried.

Stations of the Cross

Following the sale of the Calvary Glen part of the conditions of the sale was that the purchaser shall take down and move the stations of the cross to a site between St Anthony’s Church and the Lourdes Grotto.

This is on land originally intended to be suitable for the erection of a church hall attached to the church and separated by folding doors so the church accommodation could be extended when required. Here the stations may not have the dramatic effect of the previous location and indeed the main calvary group no longer stands out on the headland but at least they have all been retained.

Onto Onchan Park and Stadium