King Charles is set to make his first official visit to the Isle of Man as its head of state on Tuesday, 14 July, with a programme of engagements celebrating the Island's history, culture, and community arranged to mark the occasion. This will include a visit to Douglas Promenade to mark the 150th anniversary of the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway.
The King’s visit to the Horse Tramway on Tuesday is scheduled for approximately 1:50pm. His Majesty will meet members of the public there, before taking a short ride on the recently restored double-decker No. 18, the world’s oldest in-service tramcar.
To mark its 150th anniversary, His Majesty will unveil a commemorative plaque at the Strathallan Crescent terminus.
Also on Tuesday, King Charles will take part in a ceremonial procession into the Tynwald chamber before responding to a Loyal Address, continuing a tradition established by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her first visit as Lord of Mann in 1955.
Afterwards, The King will meet well-wishers outside Legislative Buildings on Bucks Road.
The King will then attend a garden party at Government House, where he is due to meet a number of Manx speakers, where His Majesty will meet representatives from organisations, charities, and community groups from across the Isle of Man.
The visit will be His Majesty's first to the Island since becoming King and his first as Lord of Mann. He last visited the Isle of Man in 2012, when he was Prince of Wales.
A colourised photo showing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother visiting the Horse Tramway in 1964. Jack Dugdale holds the reins of Winston as driver Caley* looks on.
(The Queen Mother also took the opportunity to ride on the Steam Railway to a Sunday Morning Service at Kirk Braddan. A possibly apocryphal tale relates that the IMR locomotive used for the short journey from Douglas to Braddan was repainted by the cash-strapped IoM Railway Company 'on one side only' as HRH would not have seen the north side of the engine whilst embarking and disembarking the special train. Certainly, the now-demolished Peel platform canopy at Douglas IMR Station was given a repaint - only as far as necessary for HRH to board the train, something that was all too evident until the demolition of the said canopy in the 1980s...)
It is not the first time the Horse Tramway has hosted a Royal Visit. Both Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother visited the Island on Friday, 5th July 1964, with tram No. 44 specially painted to serve as the Royal Car. Her Majesty rode on the system with Jack Dugdale acting as conductor. One of the older horses, Winston, was used to pull the Royal Car for the journey between Summer Hill and the Villa Marina.
In 1970, another Royal Visit took place and this time the system was honoured by patronage from HRH the Duke of Edinburgh.
Then in 1972, as Harry Constantine in his excellent book Douglas Corporation Horse Trams the First 100 Years records:
“At 10.00 o'clock in the morning of the 2nd August, Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, HRH Princess Anne, and Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten of Burma, left the Royal Yacht Britannia in Douglas Bay and came ashore at Victoria Pier. After the formal greeting by the Lieutenant Governor and the playing of the National Anthem, the party moved to the Horse Tram Terminal, that until last year (1973) was situated on the Pier. Here waiting were two horse trams, No. 44 & No. 36, both bedecked with flowers and beautifully repainted especially for the occasion. The Douglas Corporation coat of arms was suitably added above the canopies of both trams, with a crown surmounting the emblems.
The Royal Party travelled in No. 44, hauled by Pearl, then an eleven-year-old roan mare, magnificently turned out in polished harness and leathers and decorated with flowers. She did her job splendidly and was, and still is, the pride of the Corporation. By
The then Stables Foreman, James Moughtin, who retired in 1972, was the driver, and Jack Corris, now the Traffic Inspector and about to retire at the end of this season, was the conductor.
The procession along the Promenade was a truly memorable occasion, with what seemed the majority of the people living on the Island flanking either side of the tram-cars, some close enough to have touched them.
The journey was all too short, terminating at the Sefton Hotel where the presentation of the civic dignitaries had been arranged. After leaving the tram, Her Majesty fed Pearl with sugar lumps, but Pearl dropped them and they were duly retrieved from the ground by Princess Anne, who fed them to the horse herself.
After being patted by the Queen, Pearl pulled No. 44 away down the Promenade, and the Royal Party continued with their engagements. That was a most memorable occasion for not only the whole Island, but particularly for the Corporation staff who were deservedly very proud of the entire visit.”
oOo
Later this month, the Department of Infrastructure is requesting Tynwald’s approval for £2.5 million to restore the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway to the Sea Terminal after an almost decade-long wrangle to finish a job previously approved by Tynwald back in 2017.
*Driver Caley was fresh from starring in the 1963 movie "The Proud Islander" a horse tram driver who tells us about his Island.
The film begins aboard a Cambrian Airways Vickers Viscount and ends up in the Island's Casino (then at the Castle Mona Hotel). There's an amusing sequence involving the tram driver and a postman (Matty Ward) at the Fairy Bridge. Watch for a very well-observed— and terribly of its time— beauty competition at the Villa Marina, Douglas. Although very short (it ends just as you feel it's got going), "The Proud Islander" is a smashing little film and highly recommended.
A "Profile Film": Camera - Michael Gore: Produced and Directed by Martin Benson; Editor - David Capey.