signed with initials "LWT"
Tom and Laura Taylor and thence by descent
Just south of Kirk Michael is Glen Wyllin. The upper half has numerous mature hardwoods along its southern side.
The glen has a childrens playground and a campsite complete with an attractive log cabin. Cooildarry is the deep, wooded valley forming the upper part of Glen Wyllin, and the reserve extends along the main valley for around two thirds of a mile. A Victorian pleasure garden was once situated there. The woodland is varied with elm, ash, sycamore, alder, beech, lime, holm, oak and chestnut. Coriscan pines have grown to a large size on some of the drier parts of the valley rim. Many exotic species are also found. In the spring the woodland floor is carperted with bluebell, primrose, wood anemone, lesser celandine, and wild garlic. Glen Wyllin is a glen in the Isle of Man. It is one of the officially-listed Manx National Glens. The Glen Wyllin Pleasure Grounds are owned by the Isle of Man Railway whose line crossed the valley by means of a viaduct, this area was once the site of much activity for the holiday maker and Sunday School tripper.
Glen Wyllin is a glen in the Isle of Man. It is one of the officially-listed Manx National Glens.
The Glen Wyllin Pleasure Grounds are owned by the Isle of Man Railway whose line crossed the valley by means of a viaduct, this area was once the site of much activity for the holiday maker and Sunday School tripper. The grounds at Glen Wyllin were developed in the late 19th century upon the arrival of the railway and included a boating lake, merry-go-round, attractions, and the beach which adjoins it. Today the site is still maintained as a camp site and features a shop, communal showers and toilets, and a children's play area, all dominated by the two towering pillars which once supported the viaduct carrying the railway line, but it is a shadow of its former self, having been a booming centre for leisure in the halcyon days of tourism on the island, still so fondly remembered by the local Sunday School children and the like.
In 2015, the Manx Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture offered private bids for the Glen Wyllin campsite. In 2018, vandals broke into a trout-farming operation and closed a compression valve, killing over 4,500 rainbow trout. The trout farm closed and went up for sale in 2020.
The Isle of Man is in the middle of the Irish Sea, nestled between Ireland and England. It’s about the same size as Singapore – but with a much smaller population so we get to enjoy plenty of space! Many factors contribute to the beauty of the Isle of Man, from the quaint streets of its historic towns to the breath taking views from the hills.
The Isle of Man’s countryside is often referred to as ‘Great Britain in miniature’ or as The Times recently put it, "It’s like Britain with the ugly bits removed." This comparison is drawn from the Island’s rich landscape which quickly changes from dramatic hilly expanses, to dark and impressive lakes and forests, down to golden stretches of beaches and coves. Despite its compact size, the Island contains a wide variety of scenery. In the north of the Island you will discover long sandy beaches that wrap around the coastline with dunes and lighthouses dotting the shore. The further south you travel the higher the Island rises, with hills, rocky cliffs and sheltered bays.
The Island’s cities and towns are never too far from a dramatic view. The capital city of Douglas boasts a 2 mile promenade of Victorian hotels, trendy apartments and restaurants against a backdrop of glorious sunrises and the iconic Tower of Refuge. It’s easy to move from urban landscape to the middle of nowhere in a short journey, offering the best of both worlds for the Island’s residents.The Isle of Man has a relatively small population and compact towns meaning that light pollution is rarely an issue. Even in the Island’s capital city you can make out the outlines of constellations through the glow of street lamps.
The Isle of Man has an incredible 26 Dark Sky Discovery Sites with the greatest concentration of Dark Sky sites in the British Isles. If you’re lucky you may also spot the Northern Lights! A clear view of the northern horizon from the Island’s north east coast has revealed fantastic displays of this fascinating phenomenon.Due to its variation of landscape, the Island is a walkers’ paradise, with over 169 miles of public footpaths across the Island.
Visitors have come from all over the world to travel the Raad Ny Foillan (English: ‘Way of the Gull’), a 102 mile coastal path skirting the Manx coastline. This walk can be done by experienced hikers in 5 days, but is broken up into 12 sections for easily digestible weekend treks.From beaches to mountains, medieval castles to trendy apartments, wild forests to rolling hills, the Isle of Man is a true natural paradise just waiting to be explored. The Isle of Man is the only full jurisdiction in the world to be named a UNESCO Biosphere.
The Isle of Man 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 Governor. The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the isle's military defence and represents it abroad.
Humans have lived on the island since before 6500 BC. Gaelic cultural influence began in the 5th century AD, when Irish missionaries following the teaching of St. Patrick began settling the island, and the Manx language, a branch of the Goidelic languages, emerged. In 627, King Edwin of Northumbria conquered the Isle of Man along with most of Mercia. In the 9th century, Norsemen established the thalassocratic Kingdom of the Isles, which included the Isle of Man. Magnus III, King of Norway from 1093 to 1103, reigned as King of Mann and the Isles between 1099 and 1103.
In 1266, King Magnus VI of Norway sold his suzerainty over Mann to King Alexander III of Scotland under the Treaty of Perth. After a period of alternating rule by the Kings of Scotland and England, the island came under the feudal lordship of the English Crown in 1399. The lordship revested in the British Crown in 1765, but the island did not become part of the 18th-century Kingdom of Great Britain, nor of its successors, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the present-day United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It has always retained its internal self-government. In 1881, the Isle of Man Parliament, Tynwald, became the first national legislative body in the world to give women the right to vote in a general election, although this excluded married women.
The Manx economy is bolstered by its status as a tax haven and offshore banking destination. Insurance and online gambling each generate 17% of the GNP, followed by information and communications technology and banking with 9% each. This status has also brought the problems of money laundering, financial crime, and terrorism financing.
The Isle of Man is an island located in the middle of the northern Irish Sea, almost equidistant from England to the east, Northern Ireland to the west, and Scotland (closest) to the north, while Wales to the south is almost the distance of the Republic of Ireland to the southwest. It is 52 kilometres (32 mi) long and, at its widest point, 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide. It has an area of around 572 square kilometres (221 sq mi). Besides the island of Mann itself, the political unit of the Isle of Man includes some nearby small islands: the seasonally inhabited Calf of Man, Chicken Rock (on which stands an unstaffed lighthouse), St Patrick's Isle and St Michael's Isle. The last two of these are connected to the main island by permanent roads/causeways.
Ranges of hills in the north and south are separated by a central valley. The northern plain, by contrast, is relatively flat, consisting mainly of deposits from glacial advances from western Scotland during colder times. There are more recently deposited shingle beaches at the northernmost point, the Point of Ayre. The island has one mountain higher than 600 metres (2,000 ft), Snaefell, with a height of 620 metres (2,034 ft). According to an old saying, from the summit one can see six kingdoms: those of Mann, Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, and Heaven. Some versions add a seventh kingdom, that of the sea, or Neptune. Internationally, the Isle of Man is known for the TT Motorcycle Races, and the Manx cat, a breed with short or no tails. In 2016, UNESCO awarded the Isle of Man biosphere reserve status.
Laura Wilson Barker (6 March 1819 – 22 May 1905), was a composer, performer and artist, sometimes also referred to as Laura Barker, Laura W Taylor or "Mrs Tom Taylor".
She was born in Thirkleby, North Yorkshire, third daughter of a clergyman, the Rev. Thomas Barker. She studied privately with Cipriani Potter and became an accomplished pianist and violinist. As a young girl Barker performed with both Louis Spohr and Paganini. She began composing in the mid-1830s - her Seven Romances for voice and guitar were published in 1837. From around 1843 until 1855 she taught music at York School for the Blind. During this period some of her compositions - including a symphony in manuscript, on 19 April 1845 - were performed at York Choral Society concerts.
On 19 June 1855 she married the English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of Punch magazine Tom Taylor. Barker contributed music to at least one of her husband's plays, an overture and entr'acte to Joan of Arc (1871), and provided harmonisations as an appendix to his translation of Ballads and Songs of Brittany (1865).
Her other works include the cantata Enone (1850), the violin sonata A Country Walk (1860), theatre music for As You Like It, (April 1880), Songs of Youth (1884), string quartets, madrigals and solo songs. Her choral setting of Keats's A Prophecy, composed in 1850, was performed for the first time 49 years later at the Hovingham Festival in 1899. The composer was present.
Several of Barker's paintings hang at Smallhythe Place in Kent, Ellen Terry's house.
Barker lived with her husband and family at 84 Lavender Sweep, Battersea. There were two children: the artist John Wycliffe Taylor (1859–1925), and Laura Lucy Arnold Taylor (1863–1940). The Sunday musical soirees at the house attracted many well-known attendees, including Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, Henry Irving, Charles Reade, Alfred Tennyson, Ellen Terry and William Makepeace Thackeray.
Tom Taylor died suddenly at his home in 1880 at the age of 62. After his death, his widow retired to Porch House, Coleshill in Buckinghamshire, where she died on 22 May 1905, aged 86.