Остров Мэн празднует 150-летие конной трамвайной службы и связь с Битлз

Last week, Sir Barry Gibb celebrated his 80th birthday, and he has indicated his desire to return to the land of his birth again sometime. During interviews with people who had journeyed across the world to visit our island and planned their visit to coincide with this special milestone, the subject of our authentic connection with the Bee Gees was raised again. My old friend, the late Bernie Quayle, who had a very successful career as a radio broadcaster in the USA and elsewhere, became close friends with the brothers Gibb and their extended family. He was also the ‘Worldwide Isle of Man Ambassador’ for the band, as well as promoting opportunities here to celebrate our genuine connections. Others may stake a claim as part of their history, but Barry, Robin and Maurice were all born at the Jane Crookall and have always been proudly Manx. Bernie had such close links with the band that he arranged for my family and me to attend a concert in 1998 at Wembley Stadium, meet the band, and hand over a Manx flag, which flew magnificently over the iconic venue. These days, the key proponent of the link between the Manx lads who went on to capture the world’s attention through song writing for many stars, as well as their own fabulous back catalogue and the disco explosion that followed ‘Saturday Night Fever’, is Andy Wint. He has rightly identified the untapped potential of not only the real connection with the Bee Gees, but also our link with Radio Caroline North, which so many of us recall being moored and broadcasting live off Ramsey. I mention this simply because it forms another authentic and unique area of potential ‘niche’ tourism opportunity. As one of the tourism slogans from the past once proclaimed: ‘It’s our differences that make a difference’, and visitors are attracted by unique opportunities generated by the brothers. The homes they lived in in the island - Keppel Road in Willaston, St Catherine’s Drive, Spring Valley, and the connection with Union Mills Post Office - just scratch the surface. On July 10, 2009, Barry and Robin attended a ceremony in Douglas Town Hall and, together with their late brother Maurice, who had died in 2003, received the honour of becoming Freemen of the town in which they were born. Public art is always the subject of some controversy, and the statue of the Bee Gees on the promenade walkway opposite the Loch Promenade was no exception. But just look what an attraction it has become. Whenever you pass by, there are always groups having their photograph taken next to the bronze statue, which has been the subject of much interest in the five years since… The father of the brothers Gibb, Hugh, was a big-band leader who moved the family to the island in the late 1940s, and he soon obtained engagements entertaining visitors and local audiences. Along came Barry on September 1, 1946, and the twins Robin and Maurice on December 22, 1949. Unlike his older brothers, Andy, the youngest member of the family, was born in Manchester in 1958. Many of us who were around in the 1970s will remember that he, too, had connections with the Isle of Man. In 1973, a teenage Andy moved to the island, and he formed his very first band, ‘Melody Fayre’, in June 1974. The band featured John Alderson, Stan Hughes and John Stringer. Barbara Gibb, mother of the brothers, officially managed the band. They made their first-ever public appearance at a charity pop concert at Rushen Abbey in Ballasalla. Support was provided by the ‘Roadrunners Disco’, and in the audience were Barry and Linda. The band were particularly well known for their regular slot at the Peveril Hotel opposite the Sea Terminal. Their first gig at the venue was on June 25, 1974, and they also appeared at the Grand Island Hotel in Ramsey, where they performed at ‘barbecue nights’. I am informed that the Grand Island sacked the band because of noise complaints, as they were playing outside. The group’s time on the island lasted less than a year. Barry encouraged Andy to relocate to Australia to boost his career. The two Johns actually packed up and moved to Australia with him to keep the band together. However, the Australian venture didn’t quite take off, leading Andy to eventually find his solo success in the United States. He signed for RSO Records and became the first male solo artist in US history to have his first three consecutive singles reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. After a troubled life, Andy died on March 10, 1988, only five days after his 30th birthday. --------------------- Another look at the Douglas Bay Horse Tram Service in its 150th anniversary year. Acquisition by Douglas Corporation in 1902 commenced a long-term relationship as part of the municipal transport service. Many of the historic designs survived. There were several types of car, including the famous ‘toastrack’ cars. The name was derived from their distinctive open cross-bench seating arrangement. There were also enclosed saloon cars, open sunshade cars, roofed cars and the famous double-deckers. Remarkably, 51 tramcars have operated on the system since 1876, with a significant number surviving in various forms. Some are now over a century old. The horse tram service gradually became less important as public transport. By 1927, the winter service had been withdrawn and the tramway became essentially seasonal, but this actually helped preserve it. As buses and motor vehicles took over everyday transport, visitors increasingly came to Douglas specifically to experience the horse tram, and so something that had originally been modern Victorian public transport became a living piece of Victorian transport history. The horse tramway closed during the Second World War, and in 1946 the trams resumed their summer service. Throughout the 1950s, they formed an important part of the visitor experience and survived alongside modern transport. On August 7, 1976 came a remarkable milestone, as the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway celebrated its 100th anniversary. A special centenary celebration was held, including a cavalcade of tramcars and horses. Double-decker tramcar No. 14 was brought back to the island for the celebrations. It subsequently became a museum exhibit rather than returning permanently to everyday service. Douglas Corporation continued operating the service for more than a century. By the 21st century, it was becoming increasingly difficult to justify a Victorian horse-powered public transport system purely on conventional financial grounds. Yet it had something that ordinary buses didn’t have: heritage value, tourism value and enormous emotional value. Eventually, for Douglas Corporation, it was felt that the financial pressures had become too great. The local authority announced in January 2016 that it would no longer operate the horse tramway following its final season in 2015. After considerable public concern, the Isle of Man Government stepped in to protect this heritage asset, taking over the operation, the stables and other buildings, and retaining a collection of historic tramcars. Then came the Douglas Promenade works. The horse tram service was suspended while the work took place, eventually returning on July 30, 2022 between Derby Castle and Broadway… So here we are in an important historical year for this element of our unique heritage transport infrastructure, appealing to many as one of the key ‘niche’ areas of tourism which, together, provide an authentic offering for keen enthusiasts and others visiting our island.