Demolition of two 'historic' Port Erin cottages halted

The cottages were built in the mid-1800s and became the Cosy Nook cafe in the 1920s

The demolition of two Manx cottages dating from the mid-1800s has been put on hold after the government issued a temporary preservation notice.

Port Erin Commissioners had voted to take down the buildings, which had been the Cosy Nook cafe since the 1920s.

Environment Minister Geoffrey Boot said the notice would "safeguard" them until it was determined if they should be included on the protected register.

Juan Watterson SHK said he was "delighted by the stay of execution".

It was a "great relief" the "historic buildings" were no longer under immediate threat, he added.

The decision to intervene came after the commissioners' vote on 8 December, which led to concerns in government, which deemed them to be at high risk on heritage grounds.

The island's protected register is similar to the UK process of listing buildings and prevents any major work on them without consent.

The Port Erin Commissioners proposed a new, larger, building to replace the cottages

The Cosy Nook was shut by the commissioners in May 2019 after the site's lease expired, and proposals to remove the cottages and build a new facility were submitted to planners in June.

No ruling has been made by planners but the commissioners decided to start the demolition process.

Chairman Godfrey Egee opposed the proposals but said he was "frustrated" by the late intervention.

Uncertainty about building's status meant the commissioners could not "move forward" with amendments, he added.

Several heritage organisations opposed the plans and a petition asking for the demolition to be prevented received over 2,100 signatures.

Rushen Heritage Trust said it planned to meet the commissioners in January to find a "constructive way forward".

The first of the two semi-detached cottages by Port Erin Beach was built in about 1840 with the second constructed in about 1877.

It became the Cosy Nook café in the late 1920s before it was sold to the commissioners in 1930.