2017
SC4385 : Laxey Wheel
taken 8 years ago, near to Laxey, Isle of Man
This is 1 of 12 images, with title Laxey Wheel in this square

Laxey Wheel
Lady Isabella, the great water wheel at Laxey, was built in 1854 to pump water out of the lead and zinc mines in Glen Mooar. It is 22.1 metres in diameter and revolves at three revolutions per minute. Water power was preferred to steam because the Isle of Man has no coal and the cost of importing fuel would have been prohibitive. The mines closed in 1929 but by then the wheel was already a tourist attraction allowing its eventual acquisition by the Manx Government in 1965. The casting on the front is believed to be the largest depiction of the Manx triskelion in the world.