My parents had been to the site of the fire thinking I was in there as I had been all week. The worst thing was I could hear screams even from that distance, this has haunted me to this day. 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. Original 1970s flyer in colour. But I have fond memories of summerland and I to did win the talent competion in summerland. I used to love walking round the place & everytime it was just as amazing as the first time.Then in my teens & 20's & 30's going to the cave & upstairs for the TT events from TT supporters club meetings,to gigs & tyre balancing. 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. Gallery Click to Enlarge. The scale of the fire has been compared to those seen during the Blitz. The indoor Summerland leisure complex in Douglas was the first of its kind in the world and its facilities put the Isle of Man on the map as one of the most important tourist destinations in. A couple of the girls had been at the afternoon disco but were on their way back to the digs when the fire must have taken hold. Experts into wreckage of building 4. What a great place. There were 7 floors in total and the building had a capacity for 5 thousand people. The decor made it look like a tropical fairyland in places with the waterfall which looked like it was tumbling into the building from where the cliff-face was at the rear of the building. Ian Phillips of Birmingham University suggests these reporting discrepancies explain why some sources have given incorrect death tolls of 49, 51, or 53. We were first alerted to it by the noise from the fire engines.Looking out the window of the boarding house we saw the flames. We spent alot of time in Summerland it was a great venue for all the family. I had the best holidays ever as a kid in IOM , it is a magical place. The new Entertainment Centre was named Summerland and opened in the summer I was 17 and with my boyfriend at the time. NOTHING! 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. Find average house prices, current average values, other historic property data & request a valuation from an estate agent. I WILL RETURN AS THERE IS A KIND OF MAGIC ATTRACTION ABOUT THE ISLAND,I SHALL ALWAYS REMEMBER 'THE GEM IN THE IRISH SEA' WAYNE FORD, Crazy Carol, OnchanMoonwalk,rollerskating & swimming, just 3 of the things that kept myself, my brother & cousins entertained for hours. 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. Summerland was an odd mix of styles: one half light, airy and modern; the other windowless and concrete. With the help of the government and Trust House Forte Leisure Ltd the Outside its raining yet here you are relaxed in your shirt sleeves, gently perspiring in a tropical 80 degrees.. There is also a mysterious underground room in the castle where a male ghost has been seen lingering. 34808 | VAT Registration Number: 001090349 Directors . (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.) As Bob says the smell of the place too & being in there when it was pouring down outside was amazing to us kids. I was told that the drummer from the show we had been watching did not make it. I loved it so much and will always remember it . I was 15,and in the fire, but I escaped by jumping around the bannisters which were jammed with people too frightened to move on the stairs which were on the same side as the balcony with the crazy golf where the fire was started.. I've just seen that picture of the pool with the rows of spectator seats and it brought it all back to me.I remember the next year when the fire happened because we were packing for our holiday to Anglesea when the news broke. Game & Entertainment Centers. A Cafe. keith jamiesonI was 7 and on holiday with family,that inluded aunts,uncles and cousins.A lot of us had been holdaying in Douglas that week and we spent a lot of time in Summerland.It was a great place to spend the day.It had all the ammenities ,everything you wanted was there,a funfare ,indoor heated swimming pool,indoor amusement arcade.It had bars,a disco's everything.On the night of the fire, we just finished our evening meal in our hotel and we began walking up Douglas promenade ,going towards Summerland,when we noticed smoke billowing up from behind the building,the next instant the entire building was engulfed in flames.I remember seeing people pouring out of the building,some were on fire,it was horrific.We were standing some distance away and I could not take my eyes off it.The explosions from the burning building boomed across Douglas bay.I had never seen so many injured people before and it is something that I wll never forget.The following morning we all cut our holiday short and returned home,as the ferry was leaving Douglas we all stood on the boat deck ,staring at the burnt out shell of Summerland.Have never been back to IOM since that terrible fire. [7] The coastguard immediately called the fire brigade. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Isle of Man: Summerland Entertainment Center - Vintage Photograph 1399644 at the best online prices at eBay! 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. 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. fire, which triggered a major change in fire regulations on the Island. The street frontage and part of the roof was clad in Oroglas, a transparent acrylic glass sheeting.[5]. I remember winning a talent contest at Summerland when I was 6 years old.We went to the IOM every year for our summer holidays. There were two phases in the building I 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. Kayti Summerland signed up 2022-08-04 22:08:04 -0400. Brings back great memories of times spent on the island. I was one of the worst things that has ever happened on our small Island and none of us will ever forget the event. 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!) I made lots of friends both from the island and liverpool. It is a British Crown dependency (and therefore not part of the United Kingdom itself); the UK is responsible for defence and foreign affairs. The first responding fire crews realised additional resources would be required and almost every resource available to the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service was mobilised to the incident (93 of its 106 firefighters and all 16 of its engines). The scale of the fire has been compared to those seen during the Blitz. of a new Sports and Entertainment Centre, which would cost the council I had a great time. The Summerland leisure complex in the Isle of Man, a popular tourist destination for many years, closed its doors for the last time in 2018. . The Summerland Tragedy, Isle of Man.The Summerland Tragedy, Isle of Man. dotty kiddI was 17 and was working there at the time of the fire, it was total panic, the fire spread so fast and no body could get out due to the doors being locked, I managed to get my friend away safely but with all the panic going on around I ended up in a daze, I dont know how I got out but remember someone pulling me, I got out befor the first explosion went off. What a great place. I think they must have broken through a back wall or something to get there. There was a lot of excited anticipation before it opened. When Summerland opened it was sensational here on the IOM. There was a charming wooden see saw, slide and roundabout. The queue to get into the swimming pool with my Mum, Dad & brother and of course the smell. i loved summerland it was amazing the play area and the skating the swim baths and all shame the way things went, HI, I PLAYED THE SUMMERLAND DISCO WITH MY BAND 'ROCOCO' THE YEAR BEFORE THE FIRE,I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WHO REMEMBERS 'ROCOCO' I HAVE SOME VERY FOND MEMORIES OF MY TIME THERE, I HAVE VISITED THE ISLAND ONCE SINCE THEN,QUITE BY CHANCE IT WAS THE YEAR BEFORE THE DEMOLITION TOOK PLACE,BUT I SUPPOSE I COULD SAY GOODBYE. Location Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland Geographic coordinates 54 15 N, 4 30 W Map references Europe Area total: 572 sq km land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km country comparison to the world: 193 Area - comparative slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries total: 0 km Coastline A survivor of the devastating Summerland fire on the Isle of Man which killed 50 people, including 15 from Merseyside and Cheshire, has made an emotional appeal for the three Liverpool friends who . It was my last night on the IOM with my BB Company from N Ireland. The pool was salt water and it made my eyes sting. On the third attempt, my uncle's door came open and several others followed. BBC Isle of Man, Broadcasting House, Douglas Head, Douglas, Isle of Man IM99 1SW, I 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. My uncle saw someone he knew from our home town (Widnes) whose hotel was closer than ours, and he was able to phone family at home to say we were OK just as the story was coming on the news.We were all OK, apart from my uncle's cracked ribs from charging at the fire door, but the horror of the evening is still with me such that even lighting a candle is something I struggle to do and I always check out fire exits when I'm somewhere new. I am a surviver of this tragedy.I still have nightmares. When they couldnt locate me they began their search for me on the prom. I remember going there as a 6 year old. The burnt out remains of the centre in September 1973, one month after the fire. We went to a show to see the Black and White Minstrels, that's when I smelt smoke. 30 Mar 2023 - 05 Apr 2023 +. The decor made it look like a tropical fairyland in places with the waterfall which looked like it was tumbling into the building from where the cliff-face was at the rear of the building. Seconds later the light grew to a flame a few feet high, then within no time at all there were large flames extending the whole height of the side of the building I was frozen in shock watching what was kicking off. Tehachapi, CA, US. Siobhan McHaleWe had a family holiday on the IoM when I was 6. The Isle of Man [1] ( Manx: Ellan Vannin) is an island in the British Isles, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. Everywhere we went afterwards there was requests for blood donors it was so sad, and I think we were all glad to get home. . On August 2, 1973, at about 20.00, a fire in a kiosk close to Summerland, Isle of Man, started a conflagration and caused the death of 50 people. 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. Locations. Those were the days. I will never forget the screams and people climbing over each other to get out. Ricky Rooney, DouglasFor me, Summerland was the hub of all my childhood memories, I would be there at least 4 times a week. Summerland. RM R8WF63 - Oil wells drilled into the bed of the Pacific ocean at Summerland, between Santa Barbara and Los Angleles, California, United States of America, c. 1915. I WILL RETURN AS THERE IS A KIND OF MAGIC ATTRACTION ABOUT THE ISLAND,I SHALL ALWAYS REMEMBER 'THE GEM IN THE IRISH SEA' WAYNE FORD, Moonwalk,rollerskating & swimming, just 3 of the things that kept myself, my brother & cousins entertained for hours. 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. I went to the Isle of Man after the fire and never heard of the fire until recently. Everthing about that place was magical, everyone had a smile on their face & the atmosphere was exciting. In the summer everyone enjoyed the talent competitions which were great fun. 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. 'We are keenly aware that the Castle Mona is a key heritage asset for the Isle of Man and extremely mindful of the great interest that the Manx public have in the property. [1] [2] [3] Background Summerland was opened on 25 May 1971. FREE membership. janice gale from dreghorn scotlandI was 13 when summerland went on fire i still remember that night clearly my mum and i had told my dad that we were going to summerland while he went to the villa marine to watch wrestling but just before the bus stopped we changed our mind and went to white city we had just got into white city when we were told summerland was on fire we had to walk all the way round onchan to get back to the prom its a scene you will never forget seeing people jumping into the sea to get away from the flames even when we came home on the boat your were reminded again as we had to wait until all the coffins were taken of first as a mark of respect. We felt at the time that it was the beginning of the good times here on the Isle of Man. My dad raised the alarm after I smelt smoke coming from a slot machine. William LeedsI remember going there as a 6 year old. 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