The Laxey Wheel (also known as Lady Isabella) is built into the hillside above the village of Laxey in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

. It is the largest surviving original working

waterwheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or bucke ...

in the world. Designed by Robert Casement, the wheel has a diameter, is wide and revolves at approximately three revolutions per minute.

History

The wheel was built in 1854 to pump water from the Glen Mooar part of the Great Laxey Mines industrial complex. It was named "Lady Isabella" after the wife of Lieutenant Governor Charles Hope, who was the island's

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

at that time. The wheel is currently maintained by Manx National Heritage as part of the Great Laxey Wheel & Mines Trail. The wheel features today on the reverse side of the £20 notes issued by the

Isle of Man Government The Isle of Man Government ( gv, Reiltys Ellan Vannin) is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor, the personal representative of Charles III. The executive head is the Chie ...

Technical details

A water-powered wheel was used because the Isle of Man does not have a supply of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

for a steam-powered pump. Water from the surrounding area – including a number of local springs and streams – is collected in a

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by ...

, which is above the level of the top of the wheel. A closed pipe connects the cistern to the top of the wheel; thus the water flows up the tower as an inverted syphon. The water falls from the pipe into the buckets (formed from wooden slats on the circumference) and makes the wheel rotate in what is described as the 'reverse' direction: it is a backshot wheel. The crank has a throw of and connects to a counterweight and to a very long rod. This rod runs along the rod viaduct to the pumping shaft where the stroke is converted by a T-rocker into a pumping action. Most of the wheel and rod is made of wood; however, key mechanical parts are metal to provide tension and bearing surfaces. The rod has attached wheels at intervals to permit the stroke's motion with minimal friction. Laxey_Wheel_08676u

Pump mechanism operated by the Laxey Wheel - geograph

Dimensions

* Diameter: 72 ft 6 in. (22.1 m) * Delivery: of water a minute from the Laxey mines some away and below ground

Mine

The mine employed over 600 miners at its peak, producing lead, copper, silver and zinc, until it closed in 1929. In 1965 the Manx Government bought the wheel and site. The wheel was restored; in 1989, it was put under the control of Manx National Heritage.

Musical wheel

The wheel has two pieces of music dedicated to it: one penned by

Stuart Slack Stuart Slack (25 January 1935 – 5 December 1998) was a racing cyclist from the Isle of Man. He was part of the first ever Manx team to participate in the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Slack participated in the 1958 British Empire an ...

, and the other by Helen Barley; both are entitled ''The Laxey Wheel''.

References

External links

IOMGuide.com/LaxeyWheel
Illustrated and with visitor prices. {{Coord, 54, 14, 18.7, N, 4, 24, 26.6, W, region:IM_type:landmark, display=title Water wheels in the Isle of Man Buildings and structures completed in 1854