Port St Mary: New book delves into Manx fishing village history

Staffan Overgaard and Angela Little were both involved in writing the book

A book has been released charting 150 years of life in an Isle of Man seaside village.

Living with the Sea, which delves into the history of Port St Mary, provides a "new realm of understanding" of the evolution of fishing ports, a heritage group has said.

The village developed from a thriving fishing centre to a popular Manx tourist spot.

The book charts the transformation of the area between 1829 and 1979.

Ten members of Rushen Heritage Trust helped produce the project over five years.

The trust's Angela Little said many of the themes in the book were "common to the development of seaside communities everywhere in the world".

She added: "You could say that if it wasn't for the sea then there would be no Port St Mary because the whole life of the village revolved around the ocean."

Other themes covered include education, street names, religion and farming in the surrounding area.

Information for the book was gathered from the Manx Museum library, archive social history interviews and villagers' family records.