Summerland: Online exhibition marks 50 years since fire disaster

The blaze, sparked by three boys illicitly smoking, gutted the complex within minutes

A digital exhibition outlining the events of the Summerland fire disaster has been made available online.

The blaze, which broke out on 2 August 1973 at what was then Europe's largest indoor entertainment complex, killed 50 people.

Remembering Summerland tells the story of the venue itself on Douglas Promenade, the devastating events of the evening, and the aftermath.

As well as residents, many affected were holidaymakers from the UK.

The fire destroyed much of the inside of the complex

Two years after its completion in 1971, the hi-tech venue was the scene of devastation - the blaze, sparked by three boys illicitly smoking, gutted the complex within minutes.

A public inquiry into the fire, published in 1974, found there were "no villains" - just human beings who made mistakes.

Katie King, of Manx National Heritage, said the aim of putting the story together was to help people remember what it was like for those who lived through it.

Fifty people died as a result of the fire

She said the exhibition would give people on the Isle of Man the chance to pay tribute to those involved by listening to some of their testimonies.

"It's the best tribute you can play, probably, to spend some time thinking about those people," she said.

The exhibition has been put together using archive photographs, brochures and documents, information from newspaper reports at the time, and extracts from radio broadcasts about the fire.

The display also features extracts of oral history recordings with survivors and eye witnesses, which were recorded by Culture Vannin to mark the anniversary.

Opened in 1971, Summerland was the largest indoor entertainment complex in Europe

Jude Dicken, who curated the exhibition for MNH, said it has been a "very powerful story for us to tell".

She said: "At Manx National Heritage we're always looking beyond our time to future generations, and it is about preserving that memory of the past.

"It's not often always we deal with such a difficult event in living memory, and that brings a lot of responsibility for us, but it's so important that we do so."

About 3,000 people were thought to be inside Summerland at the time the fire started

For years, the only recognition of the Summerland fire was a small stone plaque on the site put in place on the 25th anniversary.

In 2013, Douglas Council unveiled a new granite memorial inscribed with the names of all the victims.

As part of the 50th anniversary commemorations, a memorial concert is also being held at the Villa Marina on Saturday at 20:00.

The national service of remembrance takes place at St George's Church in Douglas on Sunday at 16:00.