A Tour of Onchan 2
Round The Edges.

Royal Skandia Building

“The transformation of the eminence which towers high above the northern end of Douglas Bay goes on apace, regardless of what Mr Ruskin and the other critics of the aesthetic order may think” the words of the Manx Sun newspaper of 20th May 1893. It was describing the erection of the new detached hotel which was to be called “The Douglas Bay Hotel”.

The hotel was built in red brick and was designed by W.J. Rennison the architect but his one time assistant Edward Forrest took over the job part way through the construction. The builder was Frederick Callow of Douglas who acted as a general foreman for the client, Mr Samuel Horatio Marsden. The hotel was indeed impressive on the promontory site with its castellated tower being visible from all around.

The site had been part of the Howstrake Farm and the field name was “The battery field” for here was once positioned a gun battery to protect Douglas Bay in conjunction with the battery on Douglas Head and central on the bay beside the Castle Mona Hotel at a time when it was felt Napoleon may attack.

When the estate was first laid out a golf course was set up in 1892 to the designs of the famous Tom Morris. Starting here and passing alongside Port Jack Glen and where Royal Avenue was later laid out, using the tail race of the mill stream as an obstacle between the holes. Once work started on the hotel the course was repositioned to the heights of the Howstrake Farm and laid out by Tom Morris and George Lowe but altered by Dr. Farrell who had come to reside on the island and run the privately owned Victoria College in Victoria Road, Douglas. He was also involved with the electric railway company. Returning to the hotel, it opened in September 1894 and was able to boast that it was illuminated by “the electric light”, the current coming from the electric railway company. The hotel proved very popular, in fact very early on it advertised that it even had a patron from Monte Carlo. A wing was added to the hotel in 1897 and this incorporated stables although it wasn’t long before it was used as a garage for some of the competitors in the Gordon Bennett Motor trials staged here.

Larger Image Cecil Edge in his 80 hp Napier on the island for the Gordon Bennett Trials, parked outside the Douglas Bay Hotel. The main entrance is just off the picture to the right, the doorway visible in the centre of the picture is an exit from the dining room. Note the little rustic summerhouse set in the garden. Very faint in the background on the left of the picture are the trees around Bemahague and Government House.

Later still it became the headquarters for some of the works teams in the TT races and this continued for the life of the hotel.

Unfortunately the hotel went into liquidation following the collapse of Dumbell’s Bank in 1900 and by the time of the liquidation’s sale it was stated that the venture had cost Mr Marsden £32,000.

During the Second World War the building was requisitioned and used for “hush hush” purposes. It has since been established that female radio operators were trained here in Japanese Morse code, which is extremely difficult. When they were proficient they were transferred to sites in England and became operational.

There was a period in time when the hotel was painted white over the red brick.(See Old Onchan Photo Gallery No 1). In the post Second World War years a leanto extension was added on the side of the hotel and this became the famous “Texas Bar” probably one of the first “theme bars” with everything painted up to look like a wild west bar and the staff dressed as cowboys. It proved to be very popular with the customers.

In 1986 a swimming pool was constructed in the grounds but only a few years later the hotel was closed and demolished. The site lay empty for several years and work commenced in 2001 on the excavation of the rock and the construction of a huge office block which necessitated digging down into the rock to create a basement car park for the complex which opened on 31st January 2003 as a new headquarters for Royal Skandia.

The complex was designed and built by the Dandara group. The opening was accompanied by a fireworks display and a light show focussed on the building.

Skandia House at the time of the opening when the building was lit with coloured lights and there was also a firework display.
This photograph was taken by Allan Blackburn

Watch out for Tour No 3 – “Back to the Centre”