Horse Tramway
The first part of the
Douglas promenades horse tramway was originally opened on
August 7, 1876 by Thomas Lighfoot, a retired Sheffield civil
engineer. It ran between Burnt Mill Hill (later Summerhill)
and the Iron Pier, a structure that stood at the bottom of
Broadway, built in 1869 and dismantled for re-erection at
Rhos on-Sea about 1894. By December 1876 the horse tramway
had been extended to Peveril Square, close to the steamer
piers. In 1882 Lightfoot sold the line to a syndicate which
evolved as Isle of Man Tramways Ltd. In 1894 this concern
was bought by the Douglas & Laxey Coast Electric Tramway
Co Ltd., which changed its name to Isle of Man Tramways
& Electric Power Co Ltd., and whose brief but eventful
history is referred to under the Manx Electric.
Douglas Corporation
Tramways Department came into existence in 1900 to negotiate
the purchase of the horse and cable lines from the
Liquidator of the failed IoM Tramways & Electric Power
Co Ltd. In January 1902 the Corporation took over the lines
within the Borough. Although electrification of the horse
tramway was discussed for many years and endless reports
produced, by the time the Corporation was ready to make a
lucid decision the horse tramway had become a celebrity in
its own right.
Despite the
destruction of a significant percentage of the line's
rolling stock during the past twenty five years the line
survives to provide a seasonal service.
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