Manx National Heritage, the organisation responsible for promoting the Isle of Man’s heritage and culture, has announced a varied programme of events and exhibitions for summer 2016.
The summer programme launches on 23 April with a national touring exhibition produced by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, ‘Hope in the Great War’. The exhibition which is being staged at the House of Manannan, celebrates timeless courage during the First World War, telling the stories of six heroic RNLI rescues and runs until 18 August. Admission to the exhibition is free of charge, with donations welcome to RNLI Isle of Man.
Other highlights from the programme include a guided theatrical tour providing an entertaining look through the keyhole at Manx high society and ‘life below stairs’ at the Grove. ‘The Grove Gossip Tour: Upstairs Downstairs includes stories from the Gibb family archives and Ramsey Courier, brought to life by Labyrinth: History in Action Players. Tours take place on 1 and 2 May, at 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. Tickets cost £8 and include refreshments served by the Friends of Manx National Heritage.
On the afternoon of 2 May, we celebrate Laa Boaldyn, Manx May Day with music and dancing by Perree Bane and croish cuirn making at Cregneash. Standard admission charges apply, with free entry to ACE card, Members, Season and Holiday Pass.
Chris Killip, one of the most influential documentary photographers of the post-war generation will provide a fascinating insight into his career in a public lecture taking place at the Manx Museum on 7 May. The lecture starts at 2pm, followed by a book signing at 3pm in the Manx Museum Shop. Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for students.
This special lecture coincides with the launch of Chris Killip’s The Isle of Man Revisited, an exhibition offering a rare opportunity to view stunning black and white prints of his work, featuring the Isle of Man’s people and landscapes. Many of the images were taken in the early 1970s and some have never been exhibited before. The lecture and exhibition offer the opportunity to both hear about and see the work of this world-renowned Manx photographer.
On 21 May, hear about the work we’ve been doing to conserve the Giant Deer in a talk in the Manx Museum Lecture Theatre. This gentle giant once roamed the grassy plains of Northern Europe at the end of the last Ice Age. The Giant Deer was excavated at St Johns around 120 years ago and has become familiar to generations of school children visiting the Manx Museum. Tickets cost £6 for adults and £3 for children/students. The lecture starts at 2.30pm at the Manx Museum.
During TT fortnight, there’s the opportunity to see the 350cc Velocette ridden by Stanley Woods in the 1939 Junior TT. Woods was once of the biggest stars of the TT in the interwar years and was the first rider to reach 10 TT wins. His iconic motorcycle will be displayed at the Manx Museum, where there will also be a showing of ‘Forgotten Hero’, an amazing documentary about his life recorded by his wife and friends, shown daily at 11am.
TT themed objects from the Manx National Heritage Collections will also be displayed in show and tell sessions taking place at 10.30am and 2.30pm daily throughout TT fortnight (excluding Mad Sunday), whilst at 3pm ITV4’s previous days coverage will be shown on the Big Screen in the Manx Museum Film Theatre.
On 19 June, Dr Andrew Foxon leads a ‘Summer Solstice Eve’ Walk to Meayll Circle. For thousands of years, people have recognised the significance of the summer and winter solstices when the sun gives us the longest and shortest days respectively. This year, the rising of the full moon is closely followed by the setting of the sun on Solstice Eve. In this guided walk, Dr Foxon will explore Meayll Hill, the Meayll Circle and evidence for ancient connections to the rhythms of nature and the sun. Tickets cost £12 and refreshments are included after the walk. Meet outside Cregneash Village Tearooms at 8pm.
The programme continues into the summer with one of July’s highlights including an exclusive evening with British Watchmaker Roger W Smith and a screening of the Watchmakers Apprentice hosted by Manx National Heritage and Isle of Man Film Festival. The documentary traces the extraordinary work of Dr George Daniels CBE and his protégé Roger W Smith, and explores the fascinating relationship between the two greatest watchmakers of our time. The evening takes place on 15 July at the Manx Museum and will include a guest reception and the opportunity to see George W Daniel’s highly acclaimed ‘Spacetravellers Watch’, which sold at Sotheby’s to a private Manx Collector for in excess of £1.3 million. Tickets cost £20 including refreshments.
Full details are available in Manx National Heritage’s Whats On leaflets, now available at all Manx National Heritage sites andwww.manxnationalheritage.im/whats-on. Advance tickets are available now at the Manx Museum Shop and online.
