'Charming' Isle of Man waterwheel to be restored

The Groudle Glen waterwheel and wheelhouse were built in 1896

A "charming" Victorian waterwheel in a Manx glen which dates back to 1896 is to be refurbished.

The structure in Groudle Glen has been in a state of disrepair for many years.

Onchan Commissioners chairman Martin Macfarlane said the work would be done "soon" as part of a "community partnership" with a Laxey-based firm.

The company has agreed to carry out the work voluntarily, with a previous estimate putting the cost at over £20,000.

Mr Macfarlane said the firm's "highly skilled" engineers wanted to fund the work to benefit Onchan "as a whole".

Known as Little Isabella, the wheel was originally built to pump water to a nearby hotel.

'Victorian splendour'

Trevor Nall, chairman of the popular Groudle Glen Railway, said he was "delighted" that the "charming feature" would be restored.

He said the wheel was a "reminder of how things used to be" and "a feature that doesn't appear in any of the other glens".

Daphne Caine MHK, who had raised concerns over the condition of the structure in the House of Keys, said the plans were "brilliant news".

And she said it was "pretty wonderful" that the engineering firm had agreed to fund the project.

Mrs Caine said: "The dilapidated condition of Groudle Glen wheelhouse has been an ongoing concern for Garff constituents for two years or more."

Martin Perkins MHK said it was the island's "most popular glen", and the work would "maintain a much loved asset for everyone".

He added: "Restoration of the wheel will be the final piece in the jigsaw to restore the glen to its Victorian splendour."