It was an example of Modernist architecture incorporating advanced controlled internal climate, built with novel construction techniques using new plastic materials. Most of week had been spent at the evening disco and I still have photos and the weekly ticket from our good times there. My Mum persuaded me not to stay any longer in the childrens' play area in the basement, so we returned to the gallery area overlooking the stage/dancefloor to join my brother and uncle. Brings back great memories of times spent on the island. We were there the night before the fire, we just thatought the "moving staircase" by the front door was the best thing ever. I was 17 and with my boyfriend at the time. Her Name was Julie Panter, and her friend Dawn Ellingham wrote to me to tell me this. At the time Summerland was one of the most. [11] Around 80 people were seriously injured in the resulting crush and fire and received physical and mental scars. Summerland Leisure Complex Douglas Isle of Man IM99 2TB Tel: +44 (0) 1624 625511 The Site Facilities Include: Cinema Children's Soft Play Area Squash Badminton Basketball Five-a-Side Football Tennis Rollerskating Volleyball Indoor Golf Simulator Sports Bar Nightclub Spa Suite Future of Summerland Site 5 October 2010 We never knew if she saved our lives. JaxuttonOK.What's with the 3 school-boys, what caused the fire?Accident or sabotage was an investigation carried out?Tell us more! [16], Soon after the disaster, John Hinnigan was brought in from Blackburn fire and rescue to become the new chief. Gray 2017 Keystone Summerland 2980 BH with 1 miles for sale at public car auctions in Carville LA on 03-07-2023. PDF Heritage: A look at the Castle Mona Hotel s history The journey from Denis Cowley QC acted for the Douglas Corporation. 2017 Keystone Summerland 2980 BH for Sale in Carville LA It had been a last minute holiday booking and to this day I will not go on a last miniute booking holiday. I had the best holidays ever as a kid in IOM , it is a magical place. ISLE OF MAN SUMMERLAND FIRE | AP Archive This devastating fire ripped through a leisure centre in the Isle of Man, killing 50 people and seriously injuring a further 80. Siobhan McHaleWe had a family holiday on the IoM when I was 6. Behind the stage was the huge rock face. I remember seeing below us musicians from the group who had been on stage swimming across the learner pool, one of them with his guitar. Figure 2 shows where the fire initially started, and it spread quickly over the building faade. The street frontage and part of the roof was clad in Oroglas, a transparent acrylic glass sheeting.[5]. Ian Phillips of Birmingham University suggests these reporting discrepancies explain why some sources have given incorrect death tolls of 49, 51, or 53. Tehachapi, CA, US. [19][20], On other anniversaries of the disaster many memorials take place, such as a memorial concert and a moment of silence at the location which is now a vacant site. Summerland , Douglas, Isle of Man. Original early 1970s Flyer. Site Status - Summerland Site The latter idea was eventually scrapped when it was discovered some of the birds were poisoning themselves by eating the plastic foliage. A period semi-detached double fronted town house built circa 1864, set along a quiet cul-de-sac, yet within easy walking distance of the shops and cafes of Parliament Street. Summerland Comes Down Fast! - Page 2 - Manx Forums of 1971. over 1.7 million (government grant of 600,000). [17], In October 2002, torrential rain caused damage to several structures, as well as two landslides behind Summerland which dislodged two 50-tonne concrete blocks that had once supported the roof of the original building, but had not been removed in the wake of the fire. from when I was an infant until I was a teenager.Also my dad and his friend used to have such fun jumping on the beaded filled cushions in the solariumI also remember being at home in Liverpool watching the blaze on TV and crying becuase I would never be able to go there again. It was all shining, it even smelt new. My mum eventually took me and my sisters and I couldn't believe how new and lovely everything was. It does not take away from the fact that it was for a few years, a great place to be. My legs went like jelly and the next thing I knew, flames shot up the sides of the windows. We saw the fire take hold and like many others my parents were shocked and crying at the horror of the tragic loss of life. OK.What's with the 3 school-boys, what caused the fire?Accident or sabotage was an investigation carried out?Tell us more! complex was rebuilt in 1976 and opened again in 1978. Isle of Man 'shame' over Summerland fire disaster - BBC News I finished work on the 1st of August after working in the bar because Ihad run out of money. Summerland for me, like many others who grew up on the Island was one of the main places that you could find entertainment of all forms from Rollerskating through to catching a afternoon film in the cinema. Continue along King Edward Road beyond the new offices of Royal Skandia. In The Summerland Story written by Robert Kelly he promotes the centre as a holiday town where it never rains, the wind never blows and the temperature never gets chilly. ISLE OF MAN SUMMERLAND FIRE | AP Archive 30 Summerland isle of man ideas | summerland, isle of man, isle 05 Apr 2023 - 16 Apr 2023. Jumping and diving from the boards was also fun with us all playing dead mans fall from the different boards, but I never did manage to dive or even jump from the top board. It was a lovely place but it's so sad the way it all ended. I was on holiday at the IOM with a group of girl friends the week of the Summerland fire. Everywhere we went afterwards there was requests for blood donors it was so sad, and I think we were all glad to get home. I was too young to realise what had happened but it makes me feel cold now. I was so sad when the tragedy happened and still feel sad when I drive past the now empty site. Bit by bit over the years things would start to disappear, until by the end there was only "Manxland" left, my son really enjoyed palying there with all his cousins & it was a great place for Mums to meet on a Saturday & have a coffee while the kids played, we did that for a lot of years. (Good move as it happens - I understood later that about 12 people were found dead at the bottom of that staircase, which I seem to recall did not have proper handrails round it, being largely decorative.) The island is in desperate need of some alternative. When we noticed the black smoke to one end of the building - and the crowds looking in that direction - we started to move towards the exit. 1. My Mum and I started to go towards a spiral staircase which led towards the main entrance but my uncle steered us further along the gallery to where there were fire exits leading to the swimming pool area. PDF The 1973 Summerland disaster lessons to the building industry from SUMMERLANDS B&B - Reviews, Photos (Ramsey) - Tripadvisor SUMMERLAND, DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN. Summerland hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy Locations. Marketed by Chrystals, Isle of Man The island has been visited by various raiders and trading peoples over the years. On 17 September 1973, three Liverpool boys two of them 12 and the other 14 appeared before Douglas Juvenile Court and admitted wilfully and unlawfully damaging the lock of a plastic kiosk next to Summerland. My dad raised the alarm after I smelt smoke coming from a slot machine. We went back when they rebuilt it but it didn't have the same atmosphere & at first people almost seemed to be looking over their shoulders as if they were waiting for something to happen, it was strange. Manx Forums - A Discussion Board & Classifieds for the Isle of Man. I loved it so much and will always remember it . The state-of-the-art facilities put the Isle of Man on the map as one of the most important tourist destinations in the British Isles. The new Entertainment Centre was named Summerland and opened in the summer It does not take away from the fact that it was for a few years, a great place to be. We got out past the swimming pool - as a lady carrying some keys ran towards the doors to unlock them. When we noticed the black smoke to one end of the building - and the crowds looking in that direction - we started to move towards the exit. On the night of the fire my Mum and Dad were taking me to see the Black & White minstrels, my much older brother and sister didn't want to go and went on the prom. After a couple of hours frozen to the spot I remember seeing my Mum running towards me and picking me up, crying and hugging me as if she hadnt seen me in years or something. We got out past the swimming pool - as a lady carrying some keys ran towards the doors to unlock them. Just a stump of a diving board and the deep end of the Aquadrome pool, now home to about twenty billion pigeons The Brutalist concrete exterior concealed a range of sports and leisure facilities, all very wholesome and family-oriented. We went to the shops on the prom and I still have Minnie the clockwork mouse to this day. (The comedian/presenter on stage made a remark about there being "a chip pan on fire"). StuartI was 9 at the time of the Summerland fire and on holiday with my Mum and Dad staying at the Granada Hotel as we always did then. My parents had gone for a drink and I was looking after myself on my own in the safety that was 1973 in the fantastic Isle of Man. Condition is excellent. For just over two years the centre attracted visitors from all over the world. We felt at the time that it was the beginning of the good times here on the Isle of Man. Following many goes on the slide (the attendant was very friendly and let me have many free rides!) Summerland Fire Memorial - Douglas, Isle of Man in Disaster Memorials Posted by: Mike_bjm N 54 10.005 W 004 27.799 30U E 404467 N 6003063 Quick Description: The Summerland Fire Memorial is in the Kaye Memorial Gardens on King Edward Road Rushen in Douglas. When it opened Summerland w Phase I was the Only three Solaria existed at the time: Chicago, Japan and Switzerland. Julie was 14, and identified by her jewellery. "Excellent! I had a great time. County: . "So far the best Chinese I had on the Island ( and I lived 3 years in China) t.". Inside the centre he included plans for an indoor heated swimming pool, saunas, Turkish baths, an artificial sunshine zone, a childrens theatre, an underground disco, cascading waterfalls, restaurants and bars all with live entertainment throughout the day. It had been a last minute holiday booking and to this day I will not go on a last miniute booking holiday. While children were entertained in the theatre, parents could relax upstairs. The queue to get into the swimming pool with my Mum, Dad & brother and of course the smell. My dad raised the alarm after I smelt smoke coming from a slot machine. David ButteryI was 16 at the time of the fire, like many teeagers in Douglas we spent most of our evenings and many a wet day at Summerland.We could occasionally get served in the bars and if not we roller skated on the big rink downstairs.The night of the fire we had left Summerland to go to the stock cars at Onchan stadium, we got as far as the Catholic church in Oncan park when we saw a thin column of black smoke and people began to gather at the cliff top overlooking the site.We ran across the golf course watching the smoke grow, by the time we reached the cliff, half of the seaward wall of Summerland was blazing with a thick sheet of jet black smoke rising hundreds of feet.From our viewpoint we watched the fire spread over the huge oroglas canopy and saw thousands of people pouring out of the doors.When the events of 9/11 were shown on tv it reminded me of Douglas prom that night, teeming with shocked people and emergency vehicles flying up and down.We ended up in the Granada hotel trying to phone our parents to tell them we were ok but the phones were busy.The next morning the whole town stank of burnt plastic and vans instead of ambulannces ferried the dead to a makeshift mortuary.I didn't loose anyone and I dont have nightmares, but it was a dark part of my childhood and a memory that is still often in my thoughts. We came back to the island the year after the fire and we stayed in Oncan. Follow on beyond Summerland and Port Jack. The panic started and we all headed for the fire exit down the steps, only to find the doors were locked. 5. The venue was designed to hold 10,000 people in five floors and included swimming. It was a climate-controlled building covering 3.5 acres (1.4ha) on Douglas's waterfront, consisting of 50,000sqft (4,600m2) of floor area constructed at a cost of 2 million. panels dropping in flames onto the ground and I guess, people below. It was indeed quite glamorous and I know for a fact my mum and dad spent more than a few romantic evenings there, (We kids got packed off to our grandparents house!) Isle of Man Summerland Fire - DoYouRemember.co.uk forums It wasn't until we were on the promenade at a safe distance that I looked back to see the building completely engulfed in flames. Property & houses for sale in Isle of Man *DISCLAIMER. I've got used to passing the site & it not being there but from the boat, going in either direction it's still not the same.