TOWER OF REFUGE

Odd Shots Monday

I will not have a cable for my laptop until next weekend, so in the meantime all images this week will be from older stock. You may notice my real name appears on them as these are my copyrighted images from my sales site. I will answer emails and comments as and when I can. Basically when I can get access via the and only internet cafe or my partners laptop, when it's free, which isn't that often.

This shot is odd because it's real, not an optical illusion or superimposed. The minature castle in the sea actually exists. It's in Douglas, Isle of Man, which is south of Ramsey, but shares the same postcode/zip code. A little more info.

Sir William Hillary moved to the Isle of Man in 1808 and found out for himself all about the dangerous waters of the Irish Sea which surround Douglas Bay. In 1824 he formulated the idea of a lifeboat service manned by a trained crew, to rescue those that were cast adrift. The idea was new and ambitious, but soon prompted the creation of the R.N.L.I the Royal National Lifeboat Institution we know today.

When Sir Hillary took part in a rescue for a Steam Packet vessel and cast overboard he realised the coast was too far to swim to. A place was therefore needed for sailors to wait for rescue. Soon after an idea Sir William Hillary had became a reality. The Tower Of Refuge took shape. Designed by John Welch the Tower was completed in 1832. Situated upon Conister Rock, or it's other name St Mary's Isle in Douglas Bay a haven in the form of a small castle sits. A place for sailors to take refuge. Built at a cost of £254 of which almost half was paid by Hillary himself and the other by subscription. The tower was kept well stocked with fresh water and bread, offering shelter from the weather and sea.

It's sill owned by the R.N.L.I and when a freakish low tide occurs you can walk to the refuge from Douglas Promenade. For those though in peril upon the sea, it remains a constant beacon, an oddity for the tourist and an emergency photo for the photographer with laptop woes. A safe haven indeed.

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