Isle of Man TT scoreboard to feature in dedicated gallery

  • Published
TT scoreboard
Image caption,

Much of the current structure dates back to the 1980s

Parts of the Isle of Man's much-loved TT scoreboard which first set race times more than a century ago is to be preserved in a special gallery.

The familiar feature was found to be irreparably damaged through corrosion in a 2018 survey.

Parts of the scoreboard will now be transferred to a new gallery at the Manx Museum, set to open in 2022.

Manx National Heritage said the move would ensure the board was "not lost or forgotten".

First built more than 100 years ago, the scoreboard displays the lap times, speeds and positions of riders.

Much of the current structure on Glencrutchery Road, in Douglas, dates back to the 1980s.

Image source, MNH
Image caption,

There has been a scoreboard at the same spot for more than 100 years

Social history curator Matthew Richardson said: "The traditional scoreboard, with its clocks and hand-painted numbers has long been an iconic part of the TT.

"We are pleased to think that even though the event moves with the times and modernises its presentation, we can ensure that these aspects of its past are not lost or forgotten."

More than 70% of those who took part in a consultation on replacing the scoreboard supported a like-for-like replacement.

Plans for a new structure are now being drawn up.

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook, external and Twitter, external? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk, external