Douglas

O Luxury ! whom Eastern kings revere,
Dost thou maintain a little empire here ?
Could not whole kingdoms thy desires allay,
But must poor simple Douglas be thy prey ?
Ah! see what desolation thou hast spread
Young Industry is sick and Virtue dead:
While Pride and Pomp so absolute are grown,
That friendless Modesty's kicked out of town.

John Stowell

These pages will include various topics connected with the Douglas, Isle of Man.

• Douglas Householders 1730
• Seats in Douglas Chapel, 1735; Unpaid assesssments: 1753 & 1761
• Maps/Plans
  • Taggart's Plan of Douglas, 1834 + street locator
  • Map (ex Jefferson in Cannel's guide 1843)
  • Sherwood's Plan 1849
  • 1869 Plans - an illustrated tour of old Douglas is also available on CD Rom
  • c.1912 Street Plan showing places of interest for tourists
• Churches
  • Anglican Churches
  • Methodist Chapels
  • Roman Catholic
  • Non-conformists
• Compostion Book
  • 1760 copy of 1704 composition book
• Habour + Lighthouse
  • Lighthouse
  • Harbour
• Hotels
  • Castle Mona
  • Coffee Palace
  • Fort Anne - demolished 1970's
  • Metropole mansions - demolished 1998
  • Sefton
  • Villiers Hotel - demolished 1996/7
• Public Buildings etc (please note not all completed any many more to be added)
  • Bank of Mona Building (now part of Legislative buildings)
  • Courthouse (Oddfellows' Hall)
  • Douglas Head
    • Grand Union Camera Obscura
    • Port Skillion
  • Falcon Cliff
  • House of Industry 1834
  • Iron Pier - removed 1892
  • Jubilee Clock
  • Noble's Hospital - later Manx Museum
  • Nunnery
  • Promenades
  • Red Pier - demolished
  • Regent Street Post Office
  • Tower of Refuge 1832
  • Town Hall
  • Victoria Terminal - demolished 1961
  • Victoria Tower
  • Villa Marina later Kursaal
  • Windsor Park
• Dance Halls and Theatres
  • Theatre Royal - demolished
  • Gaiety
  • Grand
  • Derby Castle - demolished
  • Palace - demolished
  • Wellington Hall - demolished 1996
• Mayors 1896-1950
• Public Houses
• Reminiscences & Descriptions
  • Moore in the opening chapter of Nessy Heywood describes Douglas as it would appear in 1780's
  • Hannah Bullock gives a description of Douglas c.1815.
  • Thomas Callister's "Accurate Description..." of 1815
  • Haining's Guide of 1822
  • The first chapters of Hugh Stowell Brown give an excellent description of Douglas in 1830's
  • Letter to Editor of Manx Liberal, 1836
  • J.A.Brown "Douglas nearly 100 years ago" [1850's - useful on theatres and printing]
  • Jenkinson's Guide, 1874.
  • Browns 1894 Directory Historical Chapter pp39 et seq has excellent history of formation of Loch Promenade and Victoria Street.
  • Old Douglas - accounts of the 1840's written 1896 - one series in the IoM Examiner followed by one in Mona's Herald - parts I, II, III
  • J. Cowin Reminiscences of Notable Douglas Citizens etc, 1902
  • A. W. Moore Douglas 100 Years Ago 1904
  • Excursion around Old Douglas,1922
  • Letters re Preaching House lane & Slips, 1932
  • N Mathieson "Douglas" c.1961
  • W. Gell's verse account of Duke Street might amuse.
• Street Names
• Trade Directories
  • Pigot 1823
  • Quiggin's Guide of 1836 (+1839/41, 1848 & 1852)
  • Pigot 1837
  • Cannell's Guide 1843 (probably dates from c.1841)
  • Pigot & Slater 1843
  • Slater 1846
  • Slater 1852
  • Slater 1857
  • Thwaites 1863
  • Brown's 1881
  • Smith's 1883
  • Porter's 1889
  • Brown's 1893
• Views
  • D. King 1643
  • F Leach 1913
  • F Leach 1922

References and articles

G.N.Kniveton et al Douglas Centenary 1896-1996 Manx Experience (ISBN 1-873120-21-4) 1996
S. Slack Streets of Douglas - Old and New Manx Experience (ISBN 1-873120-27-3) 1997

The IoM Victorian Society has many newsletter articles dealing with Douglas.