The Laxey Wheel is a large waterwheel located in the village of Laxey
in the Isle of Man, a tiny island in the Irish Sea between the islands
of Great Britain and Ireland. At 72-foot-6-inch (22.1 m) in diameter and
6 feet (1.83 m) in width, it is the largest surviving working wheel of
its kind in the world.
The wheel was designed by the Victorian
engineer, Robert Casement, and built in 1854 to pump water from the
waterlogged mineshafts. It was named "Lady Isabella" after the wife of
Lieutenant Governor Charles Hope who was the island's governor at that
time. The impressive structure found immediate popularity and has
remained one of the Island’s most dramatic tourist attractions for over
150 years.
In
the early 19th century, Laxey was rich with lead, zinc, and other
metals, but mining was hampered by large veins of deep underground water
that accumulated in the mine shafts. A means of removing the water to
get at these deeper deposits was needed. With the industrial age in full
swing, the ready answer was the use of a coal-fired steam engine. But
on the Isle of Man, coal was not to be found, and the cost of importing
it was prohibitive. Water, however, was abundant.
Self-taught
engineer Robert Casement was tasked with the solution. Casement built a
system of channels that diverted water from hillside streams including
the local river into a cistern. From here, a pipe carried this water
across a bridge and into a tower that reached above the great wheel. The
flowing water then fell onto the top of the wheel into the buckets
built into the rim, allowing the weight of the water to turn the wheel. A
crankshaft, having a throw of 4 feet, connected to a long rod that
transferred energy of the rotating wheel to the pumping station 600 feet
away. Spinning at a leisurely 3 revolutions per minute, the wheel drove
pumps that could lift water from a depth of 1,500 feet to the surface
at an astounding 250 gallons per minute.
Although it no longer
pulls water, the wheel still turns to entertain visitors before they
climb to the top where they are rewarded with breathtaking views across
the Glen Mooar Valley.
The Laxey Wheel, circa 1920.
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