# Port Soderick - Isle of Man - February 2011 (pic heavy!)



## jhluxton (Feb 27, 2011)

Port Soderick is a small hamlet and day tripper resort to the south of Douglas, once famed for its pleasure grounds and beach developed by the Forrester family in late Victorian times. Port Soderick is linked to Douglas by the Isle of Man railway but prior to World War II a funicular railway connected the resort to the Marine Drive electric tramway which provided an alternative transport link to Douglas.
With the decline of the Manx Tourist industry the resort has fallen on hard times, all except the state owned Glen is now abandoned. During the summer season the pleasure steamer KARINA operated by the Laxey Towing Company out of Douglas still calls occasionally – just to keep the landing rights on the jetty.
The Hotel, which, traded as the anchor until the early 2000’s, under the proprietor ship of a ‘celebrity chef’, lies abandoned. 
Traces of the north and south coastal walkways can be seen, as well as the former oyster beads, amusement arcade / dance hall, paddling pool etc.
Much of the former resort’s present appearance dates back to the 1950s when the site was acquired by Douglas Corporation
Here are a selection of views taken on February 14, 2011. The full collection can be found on my SmugMug page accessed via www.jhluxton.co.uk
The Anchor Hotel












The Promenade At Port Soderick


Foundation stone laid by the Forrester family on the promenade


Ornamental Archway leading to the Northern Coastal Walkway


Northern Coastal Walkway


The former dance hall / amusement arcade


View north across the beach. The dog which can be seen stands on the edge of the paddling pool.


Remains of the southern coastal walkway



An ornamental palm tree clings to life – a reminder of when this was a thriving holiday resort.



Waders Gift Shop



End of the Road? – The freshly painted markings at the end of the main road contrast markedly to the general feeling of dereliction and abandonment.


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## Grumpy (Feb 27, 2011)

Very sad to see it like this. Is the coast road/path to it still usable?


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## jhluxton (Feb 27, 2011)

Grumpy said:


> Very sad to see it like this. Is the coast road/path to it still usable?



Road access is still possible though one can't drive the full length of the original Marine Drive from Douglas. Access by vehicle is via B23 Old Castletown Road from Port Soderick village or Keristal.

John


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## cuboard (Feb 28, 2011)

great report, another piece of history going to waste! 
some interior shots would be intresting


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## Grumpy (Feb 28, 2011)

jhluxton said:


> Road access is still possible though one can't drive the full length of the original Marine Drive from Douglas. Access by vehicle is via B23 Old Castletown Road from Port Soderick village or Keristal.
> 
> John



Hi, Thanks for the info - long time no go.


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## jhluxton (Feb 28, 2011)

cuboard said:


> great report, another piece of history going to waste!
> some interior shots would be intresting



A few years ago one of the doors to the amusement arcade / dance hall were open and I ventured inside - it was bare except for the upturned remains of one of those motorised tri-cycle things you see on documentaries on India.

John


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## darrenwindle (Mar 1, 2011)

Its such a shame to see places like this going to waste.


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## Foxylady (Mar 1, 2011)

I love the feeling of total abandonment here...almost like the edge of the world. Those derelict coastal walkways are great. Really nice find, John.


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## TeeJF (Mar 3, 2011)

*Wow!*

I can remember going their with my parents as a child before it was left to run to ruin!!!


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## Grumpy (Mar 4, 2011)

TeeJF said:


> I can remember going their with my parents as a child before it was left to run to ruin!!!



Shame about the Isle of Man. The place lost a major attraction when they let the steam railway go, ok they still have the trams but the place needs more. Another problem of course is the cost of getting the few miles across the water from the main land. Better shut uo going off topic!


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## cuboard (Mar 4, 2011)

jhluxton said:


> A few years ago one of the doors to the amusement arcade / dance hall were open and I ventured inside - it was bare except for the upturned remains of one of those motorised tri-cycle things you see on documentaries on India.
> 
> John




ah like a tuc tuc? thats quite intresting would be kool to see some snaps next time the doors happen to open


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## jhluxton (Mar 4, 2011)

Grumpy said:


> Shame about the Isle of Man. The place lost a major attraction when they let the steam railway go, ok they still have the trams but the place needs more. Another problem of course is the cost of getting the few miles across the water from the main land. Better shut uo going off topic!



The Steam Railway is still operates between Douglas and Port Erin. 
Only the Douglas to Peel and St. John's to Ramsey and Foxdale lines closed.

What we have to remember is that the Isle of Man was an overseas mass market holiday destination until the 1970s package holiday boom which saw the island become a more select destination without the "Blackpool" frills.

Yes it can be more expensive to cart your car the 80 odd miles from Liverpool or 60 miles from Heysham than jetting off somewhere warm an sunny - but it remains a fantastic place to visit.

As for mainland I think you should remember the Manx regard their island as THE MAINLAND. IoM is a separate country - not an offshore "county" of England!

John


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## jhluxton (Mar 4, 2011)

cuboard said:


> ah like a tuc tuc? thats quite intresting would be kool to see some snaps next time the doors happen to open




I am a bit busy at present - but I have the photos from 2005 of the interior and the rest of the site. Bit busy at present - but will get them on line - probably next weekend.

John


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## Grumpy (Mar 4, 2011)

jhluxton said:


> The Steam Railway is still operates between Douglas and Port Erin.
> Only the Douglas to Peel and St. John's to Ramsey and Foxdale lines closed.
> 
> What we have to remember is that the Isle of Man was an overseas mass market holiday destination until the 1970s package holiday boom which saw the island become a more select destination without the "Blackpool" frills.
> ...



Hi John,

Didn't mean to be disrespectful in any way, it was just that my friends in Peel used to refer going across the water as "going to the mainland" maybe a bad chioce of words on thier part. I used the Douglas - Peel line, a great experience. If I remember correctly one of the engines, No.3 Pender, is in The Musuem of Science and Industry in Manchester.


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## jhluxton (Mar 8, 2011)

Grumpy said:


> Hi John,
> 
> Didn't mean to be disrespectful in any way, it was just that my friends in Peel used to refer going across the water as "going to the mainland" maybe a bad chioce of words on thier part. I used the Douglas - Peel line, a great experience. If I remember correctly one of the engines, No.3 Pender, is in The Musuem of Science and Industry in Manchester.



Hi

I wasn't interpreting your comments as disrespectful. 

I am not Manx myself, but have heard comments from those who are, objecting to the term mainland being applied to the UK, as they regard IoM as the "mainland" being a country in its own right and with one of the oldest parliaments in the world dating back to Viking times. 

I sometimes wonder if when the railways were rationalised retaining the Peel line rather than the Castletown / Port Erin line might have been the better option as it would have made a very good commuter route into Douglas. I have only been to the MSI in Manchester once - sadly the IOM engine is sectioned to show her inner workings if I recall.

John


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## jhluxton (Mar 8, 2011)

Some more pictures of Port Soderick

By the way I have more views of Port Sodering including the Pier being used by the passenger vessel Karina on one of her occasional sailings from Douglas taken during August 2010.

http://www.irishseashipping.com/photofeatures/shipco/laxeytowing/karina230810/karina230810.htm

Later this week, I'll post to the group some more photographs taken around 6 years ago.

John


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## jhluxton (Dec 10, 2017)

An update on the situation at Port Soderick. In 2016 the site was sold to Heritage Great Britain plc the owners of Land's End, Snowdon Mountain Railway, John O'Groats etc. Apart from erecting a couple of signs nothing much happened. In 2017 the site was sold on to Ballacregga Estates. 

I visited again early November 2017 - just after demolition of the main hotel. All the masonry from the hotel had been removed though the wooden contents were all piled up presumably for burning - these images were taken on the morning of November 5th! 






























For more photographs of Port Soderick tacken between 2011 and the present please click here: http://www.jhluxton.com/Isle-of-Man/Industrial-Archaeology-of-Manx/

The northern concrete walkways were completely removed in October - no trace remains.



These photographs were taken during November 2017 showing the cleared site of the former hotel building which had been demolished in October. The timber contents having been piled into two large mounds presumably for burning. The northern concrete walkways had also been completely removed. For many years these had been fenced off as they had become unsafe. The new owners plan to build a boat house and residential and holiday accommodation on the site. Work appeared to be underway repairing the roof of the old dance hall building.


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## prettyvacant71 (Dec 10, 2017)

TeeJF said:


> I can remember going their with my parents as a child before it was left to run to ruin!!!



Hey where the f00k have u2 been hahaha


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## prettyvacant71 (Dec 10, 2017)

Lovely views the hotel overlooked, yep I reckon that was definitely fire wood! That was good to see a report from a while ago and then its up to date one. Thanks interesting as don't see many IoM posts, cheers!


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## woody65 (Dec 14, 2017)

another gated housing development sadly, the old arcade is going to be used by ex-services personal, guessing they have filled the basement up under the hotel.


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