Laxey Wheel in the Isle of Man is a product of the Victorian Industrial Age that shaped the North West of England. Today the giant red and white structure is the largest working water wheel in the world. Designed by Robert Casement, a Victorian engineer, it was constructed in 1854 to pump water from the Great Laxey Mines. The wheel is over 70 feet in diameter, and 227 feet in circumference. In its heyday the wheel pumped 250 gallons of water a minute from the nearby Laxey mines. The mines, which closed in 1929, produced a range of minerals including copper, lead, silver and zinc. Nicknamed the Lady Isabella after the wife of the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, the wheel was bought by the Manx Government in 1965 who kick-started its restoration. |