The Snaefell Wheel (also known as Lady Evelyn) is a waterwheel in

Laxey Laxey ( gv, Laksaa) is a village on the east coast of the Isle of Man. Its name derives from the Old Norse ''Laxa'' meaning 'Salmon River'. Its key distinguishing features are its three working vintage railways and the largest working waterwhe ...

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 Europe ...

. The wheel stands in the washing floors in Laxey Glen Gardens, approximately 700 metres south of the larger

Laxey Wheel The Laxey Wheel (also known as Lady Isabella) is built into the hillside above the village of Laxey in the Isle of Man. It is the largest surviving original working waterwheel in the world. Designed by Robert Casement, the wheel has a diamete ...

. The wheel was unveiled with the name ''Lady Evelyn'' to mark the extensive work of Evelyn Jones in her support of the Laxey Mines Research Team.

History

The wheel was purchased by the Snaefell Mining Company in 1865. Built by Messrs Leigh and Gilbert Howell of the

Hawarden Hawarden (; cy, Penarlâg) is a village, community and electoral ward in Flintshire, Wales. It is part of the Deeside conurbation on the Wales-England border and is home to Hawarden Castle. In the 2011 census the ward of the same name had ...

iron works An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloomer ...

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

, north

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, it was one of two identical 50 ft (15.24 m) diameter wheels to be produced. By 1910, the wheel had come to the end of its working life at the Snaefell Mining Company and was disassembled to be sent to Bodmin,

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. By the 1950s the wheel had fallen into disuse, and in 1971 the Cornish Wheel Preservation Society had acquired the wheel and dismantled it for preservation. The society later merged with the Trevithick Society, who are the current owners of the wheel. In 1976, the Llywernog Silver Lead Mine in Wales took the wheel on loan from the society though never reconstructed it. In 2003, an effort was started to restore the wheel to its home in Laxey and on 20 August 2006, the wheel had its official reopening ceremony and began turning for the first time in decades. To mark the occasion of the official opening, and in similarity to its big sister, a piece of music "Snaefell Wheel March" was specially written by Paul Dunderdale for the occasion and performed for the first time by Onchan Silver Band at the opening ceremony, with suitable fanfare.

External links

The Snaefell Wheel Project
Water wheels in the Isle of Man {{IsleofMan-geo-stub

History

See also

External links