The promontory lies within the morainic landscape of the northern end of the Isle of Man and is necessarily different from other promontory fortifications which rely on the rocky character of the rest of the Island's coastline.
The site relies for its defence on a large gully to the north and a shallow one to the south, and formerly on the sea to the east, although this is now obscured by land reclamation. Quarrying for sand, gravel and marl has mutilated the cliffline and is likely to have reduced the extent of the promontory.
The site was excavated by Gerhard Bersu in 1946. He found posthole evidence of a series of lightweight timber buildings, with walls of stakes probably woven with withies; no daub or clay was identified. The buildings varied in size from 3.9 m by 7.8 m to 5.4 m by 9.8 m. They were rectilinear, with rounded corners, a central aisle, and unlined cooking pits or hearths. The buildings were superimposed one upon the other with little time lapse between construction. No datable material was found, but by analogy they could be classified as Viking of 9th century onwards. Bersu considered them not to be farmhouses but more likely to be temporary dwellings within a defensive enclosure used by raiders for the period of their raid. The beach and old rivermouth just to the south would tend to strengthen such a suggestion.
Bersu's interpretation as a raiding party's defence is based on rather outdated views of Viking activity in the Irish Sea from the late 8th century onwards, and it would seem more appropriate to see the site as performing a function associated with policing the coastline and perhaps also overseeing beach markets.
The site is now overgrown, but inspection since Bersu's excavation has failed to find traces of the bank surrounding the promontory surveyed by the Ordnance Survey in 1869. Any landward ditch has been damaged or obscured by the later track which led to a 19th century marl pit just to the south. Quarrying would appear to have reduced the extent of the promontory, even since the 1869 Survey.
The Castle Rushen Papers contain a document dated 1627 which records the locations of watch stations around the Isle of Man from which a coastal look-out was kept. The site of the night watch-station for the parish of Lezayre was at 'Hangman's Hill', which is beleived to refer to Vowlan. The name implies that the site was used as a place of execution, much like Hango Hill (record 0031) and Knock Rushen (record 0079) in Malew.
Defended promontory. The site lies within the morainic landscape of the northern end of the Isle of Man and is necessarily different from other promontory fortifications which rely on the rocky character of the rest of the Island's coastline.
The site relies for its defence on a large gully to the north and a shallow one to the south, and formerly on the sea to the east, although this is now obscured by land reclamation. Quarrying for sand, gravel and marl has mutilated the cliffline and is likely to have reduced the extent of the promontory.
The site was excavated by Gerhard Bersu in 1946. He found posthole evidence of a series of lightweight timber buildings, with walls of stakes probably woven with withies; no daub or clay was identified. The buildings varied in size from 3.9 m by 7.8 m to 5.4 m by 9.8 m. They were rectilinear, with rounded corners, a central aisle, and unlined cooking pits or hearths. The buildings were superimposed one upon the other with little time lapse between construction. No datable material was found, but by analogy they could be classified as Viking of 9th century onwards. Bersu considered them not to be farmhouses but more likely to be temporary dwellings within a defensive enclosure used by raiders for the period of their raid. The beach and old rivermouth just to the south would tend to strengthen such a suggestion.
The site is now overgrown, but inspection since Bersu's excavation has failed to find traces of the bank surrounding the promontory surveyed by the Ordnance Survey in 1869. Any landward ditch has been damaged or obscured by the later track which led to a 19th century marl pit just to the south. Quarrying would appear to have reduced the extent of the promontory, even since the 1869 Survey.
The Castle Rushen Papers contain a reference in 1627 to 'Hangmans Hill' as the site of the night watch-station for the parish of Lezayre. The same source later makes reference to the 'Danes fort' in 1719. The coastline of Lezayre is quite short, and this is probably the only location suitable for the Night Watch. It is tempting to see both references as relating to Vowlan, though the latter is perhaps somewhat fanciful. Bersu's interpretation as a raiding party's defence is based on rather outdated views of Viking activity in the Irish Sea from the late 8th century onwards, and it would seem more appropriate to see the site as performing a function associated with policing the coastline and perhaps also overseeing beach markets.
1 name listed; Second World War. Wooden bench built of teak with carved runic cross. Commemorative plaque affixed to bench. The memorial was unveiled in June 1948 to commemorate Walter Handley who was killed whilst flying during World War II. The memorial was unveiled by the Mayor, Councillor F.M. Corkill and Graham Walker. It was built by Kelly Bros. of Michael from a design prepared in the Borough Surveyor's Office. The dedication service was performed by Reverend Canon Stenning, M.A., president of the Manx Motorcycle Club and a steward of the TT Races. Between 1922 and 1934, Walter Handley took part in 29 races, made nine records for the fastest laps and was the only man to win four TT trophies; the Senior, Junior, Lightweight and Ultra Lightweight Race. In 1925 he was the first man to lap the course under 30 minutes. Information taken from the Isle of Man Daily Times, 10.06.1948. Information provided by the Isle of Man Government Preservation of War Memorials Committee. Image courtesy of Chris Blyth, Isle of Man Photographic Society.
Warwick Tower is part of Peel Castle. St German's Cathedral, possibly on the site of a predecessor, was founded in the 13th-14th centuries but due to the incursions of the raiding Scots was protected by a curtain wall and gatehouse in the later 14th century, a feature that was to develop into the fortress and garrison of Peel Castle during the 15th to 19th centuries.
There are 6 columns of names, listed thus: 1914 - 1918 Army (2 columns containing 20 names), and Navy (1 column containing 8 names). 1939-1945 Army (1 column with 6 names) Navy (1 column with 6 names) R.A.F. (1 column with 2 names). Mostly listed alphabetically. First and Second World Wars Brass plaque.
Followed by two alphabetical lists of names, 19 for the Army and 8 for the Navy. Wall mounted stained glass panel framed with oak and illuminated.
Unveiled by Rev. A. J. Sharp. (Ramsey Courier, 4 May 1923, p.4) Moved from vestibule after chapel reconstruction in 1937.
Two storey, double-fronted house. Originally constructed before 1868 (present on Ordnance Survey 1:2500 1st edition map of that date) as a single storey cottage before being raised in the 1930s.
Early photographs show an extension on the westerly gable housing a loom, hence the name.
Acquired by the Manx Museum and National Trust in 1939.
The findspot of a Neolithic flint scatter. It included 5 flint pieces and a slate with a black cross on it, which was probably natural in origin. OS Field No. 2011.
The findspot of a Neolithic flint scatter. Kermode recorded flints from this area as early as 1914. Early finds were described as 'Great accumulations of cores, chips and worked flints of very primitive type.' OS Field No. 2070.
