Castletown
Ancient Capital of the Isle of Man - built around, and in the protection of Castle Rushen which dates from the 1200s and the Viking era and, until the last half of the 1800s, the home of Government - the House of Keys - located under the shadow of the Castle. Castletown has a population of approximately 3,000 housed in some 1,300 dwellings. The daytime population swells considerably as many businesses have located within the Town boundaries.
There are four schools: Castle Rushen High School; Victoria Road Primary
School; King William's College and the Buchan, the latter two being
private schools. The Town has its own very good swimming pool and those
who would like a game of bowls or tennis will find these facilities
a short walk from the town centre while golf enthusiasts will want
to play the famous Castletown golf links at Derbyhaven, only a few
minutes away by car. Children are well catered for with a junior playground
adjacent to the bowling green and Poulsom Park for older children with
a bit more space in which to - hopefully - wear themselves out.
A
visitor to the town would find one day inadequate for an in-depth exploration.
After a walk around the narrow streets and a circuit of the harbour,
where the Silverburn River ends its short journey to the sea, a visit
to the Castle could be next on the list. Castle Rushen is one of the
best-preserved medieval castles in the British Isles and history simply
pours out of every door, nook, and cranny. There are many eras of history
covered on a tour, from Viking times to present day, many superbly
represented by tapestries, medieval room settings, realistic sounds,
and smells.
Only
a few yards from the Castle the Old Grammar School sits perched overlooking
the outer harbour. Quite a few of today's senior town residents were
taught here and have many a tale to tell. The School is now run by
Manx National Heritage and is a most interesting insight to education
from a few generations past.
Across the harbour swing bridge and turning right towards the sea one comes to the Nautical museum - another priceless Heritage jewel. Opened in June, 1951 it revolves around the 18th Century yacht Peggy, and occupies the boathouse built for her by her owner, Captain George Quayle, in 1789. The small, three-storeyed building stands in the shadow of Bridge House, the Castletown home of the Quayle family of Bridge House and Crogga, which dominates the north-eastern side of the harbour and reflects the prominence of the Quayle family in the life of the Islands capital in the 18th century.
The
harbour was and is always busy - in former years as the base for working
boats, indeed it still has visits from coasters either delivering to
Castletown businesses or collecting a variety of local cargoes. Some
of the very first container traffic arrived via Castletown before roll-on-roll-off
vessels arrived in Douglas. Nowadays, the main activity is in recreational
boats - yachts and motor-cruisers, plus a regular number of local fishermen.
Shopping in the Town covers a wide range of needs and, indeed, some are so well know they attract customers from all parts of the Island. There is a good selection of restaurants, good-food public houses, cafés, and takeaways catering for all tastes. To round off a visit to Castletown a trip on the steam railway is always a treat. The station is only a few minutes from the town centre.
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