I would like to see an ice-skating rink there (which the Island needs). John McGimpseyI was 15,and in the fire, but I escaped by jumping around the bannisters which were jammed with people too frightened to move on the stairs which were on the same side as the balcony with the crazy golf where the fire was started..
ISLE OF MAN SUMMERLAND FIRE | AP Archive Condition is excellent. I decided to throw a wobbly and asked for a toy as I didn't want to go to the show - overtired! I went to the Isle of Man after the fire and never heard of the fire until recently. The pool was salt water and it made my eyes sting. "Excellent! The indoor Summerland leisure complex in Douglas was the first of its kind in the world and its facilities put the Isle of Man on the map as one of the most important tourist destinations in.
Summerland: deadly lessons lost | RIBAJ sammy hamiltonI worked in Summerland a week before it burnt down. It bears the names of those killed in the fire and is set into a circle of paving, alongside a stone laid earlier to mark the 25th anniversary. belindaI went to the Isle of Man after the fire and never heard of the fire until recently. I finished work on the 1st of August after working in the bar because Ihad run out of money. It is a British Crown dependency (and therefore not part of the United Kingdom itself); the UK is responsible for defence and foreign affairs. It was a tragedy but the happy memories as a child are still vivid even in my late 40's.My thoughts are with those who lost someone dear xx. We were in Summerland on the night of the fire, as we had been most evenings. StuartI was 9 at the time of the Summerland fire and on holiday with my Mum and Dad staying at the Granada Hotel as we always did then. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Isle of Man: Summerland Entertainment Center - Vintage Photograph 1399644 at the best online prices at eBay! You are in: Isle of Man > History > Where the sun always shines. The Summerland disaster occurred when a fire spread through the Summerland leisure centre in Douglas on the Isle of Man on the night of 2 August 1973. My mum eventually took me and my sisters and I couldn't believe how new and lovely everything was. Located in the heart of Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man, the complex was a landmark of the island, offering a wide range of attractions for both locals and visitors alike. My Uncle and several other "big chaps" hurled themselves against the fire doors to break them down. Much thought was given to bringing a sunshine-feel to the building. 6. vox pops boys re. The scale of the fire has been compared to those seen during the Blitz. I remember seeing balls of fire dropping from the top of the structure this was the so-called inflammable Oraglass (?) Experts into wreckage of building 4. Douglas, Isle of Man IM1 2SE Registered in the Isle of Man No.
Plans for first phase of Castle Mona restoration submitted - Tevir Group We never knew if she saved our lives.
MER 26 56 Douglas 1978 | Isle of man, Summerland, Isle I was 17 and with my boyfriend at the time. There were 7 floors in total and the building had a capacity for 5 thousand people. "A good batter, a tasty sauce, and the excellent fried rice with chives.". Bob EmeryWhen Summerland opened it was sensational here on the IOM. With the help of the government and Trust House Forte Leisure Ltd the seeing many bodies, young people burned beyond recognition JaxuttonOK.What's with the 3 school-boys, what caused the fire?Accident or sabotage was an investigation carried out?Tell us more!
ISLE OF MAN: Summerland Entertainment Center - Vintage Photograph [16], Soon after the disaster, John Hinnigan was brought in from Blackburn fire and rescue to become the new chief.
Summerland Comes Down Fast! - Page 2 - Manx Forums A recent trip to Isle of Man brought back many happy memories but I was sad to see that not only had Summerlands closed but the building was completly gone.Some people said I was daft as there was no pool on the prominade but my memories of that place will never disappear. On the night of the fire I had decided, for some unknown reason, to spend some time on the ASTROGLIDE (who remembers that ?) I wondered why she was fussing me so much and so upset, after all, I was fine. Summerland complex, Isle of Man Isle of Man Tram and Summerland Leisure Centre. Now it's completely gone & it is a shame but they will hopefully put something back there for the manx & visitors to enjoy & make their amemories last a lifetime too. My mum eventually took me and my sisters and I couldn't believe how new and lovely everything was. Follow on beyond Summerland and Port Jack. The fire killed 50 people, eleven of them under the age of twenty. We were first alerted to it by the noise from the fire engines.Looking out the window of the boarding house we saw the flames. Firemen were already on the scene and ran past us with hoses. The panic started and we all headed for the fire exit down the steps, only to find the doors were locked. jimmy kitchin onchanon the night of the summerland fire,my wife and mother and father inlaw (in there late seventies) plus myself with a wife who was expecting a child,were due to have a drink in the top bar as a fairwell to there holls before returning to liverpool next day, due to a strange event my wife hair rollers broke down so delaying by half an hour our departure.we stoped at the laxey filling station only to be told the complex was on fire!! The rest is of course history. On the night of the fire my Mum and Dad were taking me to see the Black & White minstrels, my much older brother and sister didn't want to go and went on the prom. In 1973, the Summerland Complex suffered a tragic accidental The state-of-the-art facilities put the Isle of Man on the map as one of the most important tourist destinations in the British Isles. (Good move as it happens - I understood later that about 12 people were found dead at the bottom of that staircase, which I seem to recall did not have proper handrails round it, being largely decorative.) Those were the days. The survivor and her mother were separated from her father and sister and stuck in the venue before being rescued through a window by firemen. The first drawings materialised in 1965 but hundreds were drafted out before building work actually started. The year before the fire we were taken to Summerland to watch a syncronised swimming display. My dad played a lot of squash so I was always there watching him, well trying.. it took me years to be tall enough to see over from the spectators gallery properly.Every weekend it would either be rollerskating, swimming or the play area in the day and at night we would come back for the cabaret and more time in the play area.Through the week I would be in Summerland for 5-a-side football and swimming lessons with my school.For years I knew nothing about the fire but was told by my parents at a sensible age, from this moment on I wanted to know what the place looked like as their description made it sound out of this world and it was!I have spent many an hour researching everything Summerland.I have to admit I did feel very sad when I saw this place coming down.A newer more aesthetically pleasing version needs to be built, we need a more resourceful entertainment complex on the Island, everthing under one roof.. like Summerland! The first occupants were hunter-gatherers and fishermen.
Isle of Man 'shame' over Summerland fire disaster - BBC News Two years after its completion in 1971 the high tech promenade venue was the scene of devastation after a fire ripped through the building killing 50 people. Her Name was Julie Panter, and her friend Dawn Ellingham wrote to me to tell me this. Summerland Leisure Complex Douglas Isle of Man IM99 2TB Tel: +44 (0) 1624 625511 The Site Facilities Include: Cinema Children's Soft Play Area Squash Badminton Basketball Five-a-Side Football Tennis Rollerskating Volleyball Indoor Golf Simulator Sports Bar Nightclub Spa Suite Future of Summerland Site 5 October 2010 ISLE OF MAN: Summerland Entertainment Center - Vintage Photograph 1399665 - 12.48. After another few minutes the flames had spread over the top of the building and were beginning to engulf the whole place, it was horrible to see. BBC Isle of Man, Broadcasting House, Douglas Head, Douglas, Isle of Man IM99 1SW, I was 16 at the time of the fire, like many teeagers in Douglas we spent most of our evenings and many a wet day at Summerland.We could occasionally get served in the bars and if not we roller skated on the big rink downstairs.The night of the fire we had left Summerland to go to the stock cars at Onchan stadium, we got as far as the Catholic church in Oncan park when we saw a thin column of black smoke and people began to gather at the cliff top overlooking the site.We ran across the golf course watching the smoke grow, by the time we reached the cliff, half of the seaward wall of Summerland was blazing with a thick sheet of jet black smoke rising hundreds of feet.From our viewpoint we watched the fire spread over the huge oroglas canopy and saw thousands of people pouring out of the doors.When the events of 9/11 were shown on tv it reminded me of Douglas prom that night, teeming with shocked people and emergency vehicles flying up and down.We ended up in the Granada hotel trying to phone our parents to tell them we were ok but the phones were busy.The next morning the whole town stank of burnt plastic and vans instead of ambulannces ferried the dead to a makeshift mortuary.I didn't loose anyone and I dont have nightmares, but it was a dark part of my childhood and a memory that is still often in my thoughts. 14a Majestic Apartments King Edward Road Onchan IM3 2BD. Tehachapi, CA, US. Looking at the picture of the pool makes me sad!! From Wonderful California, published 1915. This button displays the currently selected search type. It was all shining, it even smelt new. It was so colourful and had such a happy and relaxed atmosphere. of a new Sports and Entertainment Centre, which would cost the council . I WILL RETURN AS THERE IS A KIND OF MAGIC ATTRACTION ABOUT THE ISLAND,I SHALL ALWAYS REMEMBER 'THE GEM IN THE IRISH SEA' WAYNE FORD, Crazy Carol, OnchanMoonwalk,rollerskating & swimming, just 3 of the things that kept myself, my brother & cousins entertained for hours. After a couple of hours frozen to the spot I remember seeing my Mum running towards me and picking me up, crying and hugging me as if she hadnt seen me in years or something. There were cafes and bars to relax in when you needed a drink. At the time Summerland was one of the most. 'We are keenly aware that the Castle Mona is a key heritage asset for the Isle of Man and extremely mindful of the great interest that the Manx public have in the property. My dad raised the alarm after I smelt smoke coming from a slot machine. Mountain retreat in Southern California.
Property & houses for sale in Isle of Man *DISCLAIMER. I've got used to passing the site & it not being there but from the boat, going in either direction it's still not the same. Location Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland Geographic coordinates 54 15 N, 4 30 W Map references Europe Area total: 572 sq km land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km country comparison to the world: 193 Area - comparative slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries total: 0 km Coastline A report commissioned by the Lieutenant Governor in 1973 stated that the blaze was the worst peacetime fire disaster in the British Isles since 1929. last updated: 04/04/2008 at 15:38created: 03/04/2008. The acrylic material melted, allowing more oxygen to enter, and dropping burning molten material, both starting other fires and injuring those trying to escape. There was a charming wooden see saw, slide and roundabout. The worst thing was I could hear screams even from that distance, this has haunted me to this day. Jumping and diving from the boards was also fun with us all playing dead mans fall from the different boards, but I never did manage to dive or even jump from the top board. 5. On the third attempt, my uncle's door came open and several others followed.
Find it on the Isle of Man | Business, Restaurants, Classifieds, Events I survived that terrible disaster. A couple of the girls had been at the afternoon disco but were on their way back to the digs when the fire must have taken hold.
Places - Lost in Time: Summerland Centre, Isle of Man Isle of Man - Wikipedia For me, Summerland was the hub of all my childhood memories, I would be there at least 4 times a week. I was on holiday at the IOM with a group of girl friends the week of the Summerland fire. is now owned and operated by the Department of Tourism and Leisure. In The Summerland Story written by Robert Kelly he promotes the centre as a holiday town where it never rains, the wind never blows and the temperature never gets chilly.