Brandywell, Isle of Man | |
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Coordinates | 54°14′50.9″N 4°32′18.0″W / 54.247472°N 4.538333°W |
Built | 1864-65, 1935 |
Brandywell, Isle of Man (Manx: Chibbyr y Phunch)[1] (archaic|Chibbyr Slieau Maggle)[2] is an area of Mountain Lands of heath moorland[3][4] and coniferous woodland plantations situated in the Northern Upland Massif[5] in the parish of Kirk Michael in the Isle of Man.
The area of Brandywell is open moorland situated in the Northern Uplands of the Isle of Man including the commons grazing land of North Park (archaic|’Slieau Maggle’) [6] and Injerbreck Hill close to the private residence of ‘Brandywell Cottage.’ [7]
The area of Brandywell includes the secondary B10 Beinn-y-Phott Road, the B25 West Baldwin Road, B10 Brandywell / Sartfell Road with the junction with the B26 Ballaugh Glen (Druidale) Road at ‘Brandywell Cottage.’ The area is dominated by the nearby Snaefell Mountain with an elevation of 621m (2,036 feet) above sea level and the nearby summits of Beinn-y-Phott (544m), Sartfell (454 m) Slieau-ny-Maggle (427m) and nearby Injerbreck Hill.
Brandywell Corner, A18 Snaefell Mountain Road
The Brandywell Corner is located between the 6th Milestone and 7th Milestone road-side markers on the primary A18 Snaefell Mountain Road and with the road junction with the secondary B10 Beinn-y-Phott road on boundary-line of the parishes Kirk Braddan and Kirk Michael in the Isle of Man.
The Brandywell Corner road junction[8] with the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road is the site of an Isle of Man TT Marshal communication shelter and a small Weather Station used by the Isle of Man Department of Infrastructure. [9]
Origin of Name
The name Brandywell originates from a nearby water-well that was used by local shepherds to brand and sort flocks of mountain sheep.[10]
Regiam Viam footpath and the Millennium Way
The footpath at Brandywell is an ancient ridge-way or pathway part of the Regiam Viam (Royal Way) [11] of the Kings of Mann and now part of the Isle of Man Millennium Way public footpath. [12]
A18 Snaefell Mountain Road
The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road was developed in the mid-nineteenth century from a number of pre-existing roads, carting-tracks and bridle paths. This included installation of a number of sheep-gates including the, Beinn-y-Phott sheep-gate and Nobles Park Gate at the Brandywell road junction. [13] This section of the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road from the Keppel Gate northwards to the Corrany Gate at Park Llewellyn (North Barrule) was built on common grazing land that were transferred to the UK Crown following the sale of the Islands feudal rights by the Duke of Atholl following a report made by the Disafforesting Commission of 1860. [14]
Motor-sport heritage
The Brandywell Corner [15] section of the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road was part of the 52.15 mile Highland Course (amended to 40.38 miles in 1906[16]) and the 37.50 Mile Four Inch Course used for car racing including the 1904 Gordon Bennett Trial and the RAC Tourist Trophy automobiles races held between 1905 and 1922.[17] In 1911 the Four Inch Course for automobiles was first used by the Auto-Cycling Union for the Isle of Man TT motorcycle races. [18] This included Brandywell Corner [19] and the course later became known as the 37.73 mile Snaefell Mountain Course which has been used since 1911 for the Isle of Man TT and from 1923 for the Manx Grand Prix races. [20]
The Brandywell Corner was subject to road widening with the removal of the Beinn-y-Phott sheep-gate on the A18 Mountain Road for the 1935 Isle of Man TT Races.[21]
Mountain bikes
The Brandywell road junction forms part of two official mountain bike routes. The first A Grand Day Out (cross country loop) a mountain bike trail of 18.5 miles follows the B10 Brandywell Road and the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road and is classified as a Red difficult route. [22] The second official route is the St Luke's & Windy Corner (cross country loop) a mountain bike trail of 17 miles and is also classified as a Red difficult route. [23]
Sources
- ^ Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Two. Sheading of Michael: (Kirk Michael, Ballaugh and Jurby) page 55 Kirk Michael by George Broderick – Turbingen ; Niemeyer NE:HST (1995) Manx Place- Name Survey, Max Niemeyer Verlag Tubingen ISBN 3-484-40138-9 (Gesamtwerk) 3-484-40130-3 (Band 2) Druck und Eiband: Weihert-Druck GmbH Darmstadt. “Chibber y phunch”).
- ^ Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Two. Sheading of Michael: (Kirk Michael, Ballaugh and Jurby) page 55 Kirk Michael by George Broderick – Turbingen ; Niemeyer NE:HST (1995) Manx Place- Name Survey, Max Niemeyer Verlag Tubingen ISBN 3-484-40138-9 (Gesamtwerk) 3-484-40130-3 (Band 2) Druck und Eiband: Weihert-Druck GmbH Darmstadt.
- ^ Manx Uplands and Steering Group – Issues and Opportunities (1:200,000) page 44, 53–56 & Map page 54 Scale 1:200,000 (April 2014) Isle of Man Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Rheynn Chymmyltaght, Bee as Eirinys (DEFRA)
- ^ A New History of the Isle of Man Volume 1 – The evolution of the Natural Landscape pages 317, 346 & 391 Edited by Richard Chiverall and Geoffery Thomas(2006) Liverpool University Press ISBN 978-0-85323-577-4
- ^ Manx Uplands and Steering Group – Issues and Opportunities page 4 & map page 13, (Scale 1:200,000) page 43, 53–54 (April 2014) Isle of Man Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Rheynn Chymmyltaght, Bee as Eirinys (DEFRA) – "Defining the Manx Uplands....all areas of ‘AML’ defined land(“Above the mountain line”, 250m above sea level), all land above 200m.... all areas of heathland, woodland and water catchment contiguous with the 200m contour."
- ^ ’’Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Two. Sheading of Michael: (Kirk Michael, Ballaugh and Jurby)’’ page 98 Kirk Michael by George Broderick – Turbingen ; Niemeyer NE:HST (1995) Manx Place- Name Survey, Max Niemeyer Verlag Tubingen ISBN 3-484-40138-9 (Gesamtwerk) 3-484-40130-3 (Band 2) Druck und Eiband: Weihert-Druck GmbH Darmstadt.
- ^ A Gazetteer of the Isle of Man page 61 Leslie Qulliam RBV The Manx Heritage Foundation - Eiraght Ashoonagh Vannin (2005) Quine and Cubbon Ltd ISBN 0 951 4539 12
- ^ Manx Sun page 4 22nd September 1888 "Brandywell Junction" - Good Templar's Annual Picnic.
- ^ Isle of Man Examiner page 4 9th September 2008
- ^ An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of the Isle of Man page 24 by David T. Webber Revised by Frank Cowin and F.J.Radcliffe;- Editor Gordon N. Kniveton (1997) The Manx Experience ISBN 1-873120-25-7 "The mountain road junction by Injebreck Hill, named after a well in the vicinity where shepherds used to gather for the sorting and branding of their mountain sheep."
- ^ The Isle of Man by Train, Tram and by Foot page 118 by Stan Basnett (1990) Lily Publications ISBN 1-899602-72-0 Walk 22 - Millennium Way Ancient ridgeway Cronica - Regum Mannie et Insulaum
- ^ The Isle of Man by Train, Tram and by Foot page 108 by Stan Basnett (1990) Lily Publications ISBN 1-899602-72-0 Walk 22 - Millennium Way
- ^ Isle of Man Examiner page 4 9th December 1925 "MOTOR-CYCLE RELIABILITY RUN - The proposed course is via Anxfell, Laxey....Ramsey, Sulby, Tholty-y-Will, Bungalow and then to Nobles Gate and turn right to Brandywell over Injebreck Mountain...."
- ^ Manx Milestones pages 13–17 and pages 57–58 by Stuart Slack (1st Edition)(2003)The Manx Experience ISBN 1-873120-58-3
- ^ TT 100 The Official Authorised History of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Racing page 26 Mick Duckworth (2007) Lily Publications ISBN 1-899602-67-4 "....The wind can catch you out approaching Brandywell. It's as well to go in steady and take a classic racing line through...." The Mountain Course. A lap of the legendary circuit accompanied by the record holder John McGuinness.
- ^ TT Pioneers – Early Car Racing in the Isle of Man page 22 Robert Kelly, Mercury Asset Management (1996)(1st Edition) The Manx Experience, The Alden Press ISBN No 1 873120 61 3
- ^ ’’Isle of Man Car Races 1904-1953’’ page 30 by Neil Hanson (2015) Lily Publications ISBN 978-1-907945-36-6
- ^ The Manx Experience. A Souvenir Guide to the Isle of Man. page 66-67 Gordon N. Kniverton 8th edition The Manx Experience (1987) Mannin Publishing Ltd
- ^ Mountain Milestones – 100 Years of TT Mountain Course page 157-158 by David Wright (2011) Lily Publications ISBN 978-1-907945-04-5
- ^ ’’The History of the Manx Grand Prix’’ page 7, 8, 9 by Bill Snelling Amulree Publishing(1998) Manx Heritage Foundation ISBN 1 901508 04 8
- ^ Isle of Man Weekly Times dated 25 May 1935
- ^ Isle of Man Mountain Biking Guide – 8 complete self-guided routes page 3 Visit Isle of Man (2014) Isle of Man Department of Economic Development – "....Before you enter the open moorland, be sure to take a few minutes to soak up the magnificent view.... At the B10, turn left and follow this road through the cattle grid and on towards the TT Course. As you join the TT Course at Brandywell, you will see your starting point just half a mile to the north."
- ^ Isle of Man Mountain Biking Guide – 8 complete self-guided routes page 6 Visit Isle of Man (2014) Isle of Man Department of Economic Development – ".... At the T junction turn right towards St Luke’s Church. At the church take the track on its right hand side and head north on this section of the Millennium Way. This is a long and steady climb that eventually brings you out on to the B10. Turn right and follow the B10 east towards the Mountain Road (TT Course)."