Birkin's Bend (previously Orrisdale South or

Rhencullen __NOTOC__ Rhencullen () () including Birkin's Bend is adjacent to the 17th milestone of the TT course, on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey road in the Isle of Man. Location Rhencullen ( archaic Balla-ny-Rhenney beg) is a former quarter ...

) is situated adjacent to the 17th road milestone on the primary A3 Castletown to

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Companies *Ramsey (retailer), Turkish clothing retailer People * Ramsey (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Ramsey (surname), including a list of people with the surname * Baron de Ramsey, a title i ...

road in the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

Motor-sport heritage

The Rhencullen section was part of the 37.50 Mile

Four Inch Course The Four Inch Course was a road racing, road-racing circuit first used for the 1908 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (automobiles), 1908 Tourist Trophy Race for cars, held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the I ...

used for the RAC Tourist Trophy automobile races held in the Isle of Man between 1908 and 1922. In

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

, the Four Inch Course for automobiles was first used by the Auto-Cycling Union for the

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May and June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event begins on the UK Spring Bank Holiday at the e ...

motorcycle races. This included Rhencullen and the course later became known as the 37.73 mile

Isle of Man TT Mountain Course The Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' or ''Snaefell Mountain Course'' or ''Elmo’s Mountain Course'' is a street and public rural road circuit located in the Isle of Man, used for motorcycle racing. The motorcycle ''TT Course'' i ...

which has been used since 1911 for the

Races and from 1923 for the

Manx Grand Prix The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course (or ' Mountain Circuit') annually, usually at the end of August and early September. Traditionally the event has been staged over a two week period but this was reduce ...

races.

Birkin’s bend

During an early morning practice session for the

1927 Isle of Man TT The 1927 Isle of Man TT, Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw more changes occur with a fatal accident during practice to Archie Birkin, a brother to Henry Birkin, Tim Birkin of the Bentley Boys fame. The corner in Michael District, Kirk Michael where ...

Archie Birkin Charles Archibald Cecil Birkin (30 March 1905 – 7 June 1927) was an English motorcycle racer, brother of Tim Birkin, one of the " Bentley Boys" of the 1920s. Background and family Birkin was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in 1905. H ...

brother of

Tim Birkin Sir Henry Ralph Stanley Birkin, 3rd Baronet (26 July 1896 – 22 June 1933), known as Tim Birkin, was a British racing driver, one of the "Bentley Boys" of the 1920s. Background and family Birkin was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in ...

, one of the "

Bentley Boys The Bentley Boys were a group of wealthy British motorists who drove Bentley sports cars to victory in the 1920s and kept the marque's reputation for high performance alive. In 1925, as the marque floundered, Bentley Boy Woolf Barnato bought th ...

" of the 1920s, swerved to avoid a fish-van travelling to

Peel Peel or Peeling may refer to: Places Australia * Peel (Western Australia) * Peel, New South Wales * Peel River (New South Wales) Canada * Peel Parish, New Brunswick * Peel, New Brunswick, an unincorporated community in Peel Parish * Pee ...

on open roads to the public and crashed fatally against an off-side hedge. The corner at Rhencullen on the A3 road where the accident occurred was renamed as 'Birkins Bend.' From 1928 onwards, a significant change occurred with practice sessions for the Isle of Man TT Races and

were now held on closed public roads.

Road improvements

The Rhencullen complex of bends including Birkin's Bend was subjected to road widening and re-profiling by the Isle of Man Highway and Transport Board during the winter of 1953/1954 prior to the

1954 Isle of Man TT Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the he ...

races.''Isle of Man Weekly Times'' page 6 Saturday 29 May 1954

Sources

External links

Prohibited Area Page 9 Birkins Bend/Rhencullen Isle of Man TT Races/ Manx Grand Prix
{{Isle of Man Racing Circuits Birkin's Bend Corners of the Isle of Man TT