We can expect a visit to the Isle of Man to be different from a visit to, say, the island of Anglesey or the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Man is a Crown dependency. Queen Elizabeth is Lord of Mann. The island was for a short time ruled by Norway, and then by Scotland. The diocese of Sodor and Man had a cathedral with a chequered history. (‘Sodor’ is both an archaic term for the Southern Isles, i.e. the Hebrides, and a fictional setting for Wilbert Awdry’s stories of Thomas, Gordon and the rest.) In 1980 S and M gained its present cathedral in Peel on the west coast of the island. Its website is a polished production. The cathedral has had a particular interest in climate change; in 2019 it backed Extinction Rebellion.
Douglas is likely to be the landing-post for a visitor to the Isle of Man. He will find that St George’s and All Saints’ is an active parish with a handsome website. The parish has a pioneer curate and a wealth of busy groups. The Vicar of St George’s and All Saints’, Douglas is archdeacon as well as incumbent. Andie Brown comments on how things have changed during the eight years he has been archdeacon. Like other archdeacons, he says, he has been aware of an increasing work-load.
Amongst the parish churches in Douglas is St Ninian’s. Consecrated in 1914, it had a re-fit in 2007 to incorporate a parish centre within the present building. Canon John Coldwell is the Vicar. St Thomas’s is making a beginning on similar plans to refurbish their building to meet 21st century needs.
The first new Anglican church on the Isle of Man for over 50 years was built in 1967. Its revolutionary design was influenced by Le Corbusier amongst others. All Saints’, Douglas did not have a happy history. It sprang leaks and it was found that putting the building right would cost £400,000. It was closed in 2017. This was a sad episode for an island with few outstanding items of church architecture.
Everybody thinks of Man as the venue for the TT races. It is that and it is also the smallest of the 44 Church of England dioceses. Proposals to link it with a mainland diocese have proved fruitless.
MEETING RACISM WITH GRACE
MRWG is down-to-earth, street-wise, comment coming from one who has had unpleasant experiences and offers guidance on how to avoid thoughtless discourtesy. Go to Christ Church, Surbiton Hill, resources, then blog. It’s well worth a visit.
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