Bishopscourt

[ponderer]

Shouldn't this historic building be other than in private hands?

 

 

http://www.manxradio.com/readItem.aspx?ID=...mp;cate=General

[ponderer]

Shouldn't this historic building be other than in private hands?

 

 

http://www.manxradio.com/readItem.aspx?ID=...mp;cate=General

 

YES. At £6m plus I don't care who gets it, as long as its not the IOM taxpayer.

 

Well if people don't care if its in private hands... then is there a wealthy benefactor out there who reads Manx forums and would be willing to buy it and respect its huge historical importance to the island by finding ways of enabling access from time to time to the manx people?

[sarahc]

If someone helps me out with some cash I'll buy it and hold parties in it from time to time.

[ans]

I was going to buy it but I'm looking for somewhere closer to Douglas.

[Silentbob]

Yeah, they can buy it and turn it into the "International Road Planning School for DoT employees who can't plan road networks and want to do other stuff good as well"

[zippy]

Didn't the government sell it in the 70's when it was falling down because they couldn't afford to maintain it. I think it was some arbitrary sum like £5 or something

 

a man in the pub told me so it must be true

 

I haven't actually been to a pub but I would image he could have told me if i was there

[Juan Kerr]

Didn't the government sell it in the 70's when it was falling down because they couldn't afford to maintain it. I think it was some arbitrary sum like £5 or something

 

a man in the pub told me so it must be true

 

I haven't actually been to a pub but I would image he could have told me if i was there

 

It was actually the Church that owned it rather than the government. But your probably right. Flogged off relatively cheap due to concerns over the upkeep.

[ynsheltyn]

Each ManxForums subscriber could contribute £1642.

Might be a bit of a squeeze if we all tried to live there though!

[Pat Ayres]

Who really gives a toss?

Isn't the government trying to encourage filthy rich people to move here with tax breaks and the like?

Ideal location for the new IOM South African Embassy I would have thought.

[Bananaman]

The worlds scariest dinner lady used to be housekeeper there. All those who went to Kirk Michael Primary before 1979 will remember

[ponderer]

Who really gives a toss?

Isn't the government trying to encourage filthy rich people to move here with tax breaks and the like?

Ideal location for the new IOM South African Embassy I would have thought.

 

Who 'gives a toss'? Well I guess only those who are interested in manx history - and so are engaged with the important historical work of such figures as Bishop Wilson and Bishop Simon...

 

I'm not sure, from the reactions on this thread to a historic place like Bishopscourt, where that leaves the members of Manx Forums though...

 

Does anybody care about manx history and the contribution of figures like Bishop Wilson?

[Frances]

brief history etc at www.manxnotebook.com/parishes/ml/bcourt.htm

[Lonan3]

The fact that it is an imposing and attractive building probably makes it worthy of preservation - even though previous generations appear to have altered and adapted it to suit their own tastes At the same time, the preservation needs a reasonable degree of flexibility if it is to be privately owned.

I would suggest that the history is attached to, rather than an integral part of, the building itself.

The only way that any return to 'public' ownership should be contemplated is if a function can be found for it that will not be a drain on government resources - e.g. an educational establishment - as there already appears to be a surfeit of museums.

Perhaps it could be used as a privately run health farm, or detox unit, if someone was willing to invest that kind of money in it?

[Charles Flynn]

Didn't the government sell it in the 70's when it was falling down because they couldn't afford to maintain it. I think it was some arbitrary sum like £5 or something

 

a man in the pub told me so it must be true

 

I haven't actually been to a pub but I would image he could have told me if i was there

 

It was actually the Church that owned it rather than the government. But your probably right. Flogged off relatively cheap due to concerns over the upkeep.

 

In 1976 Tynwald through the Board of Social Security bought Bishopscourt from the Church for £70,000. Eventually it was sold on the open market by the Government Property Trustees.

 

Bishop Nicholls and his successors Bishops Atwell and Jones resided at Bishops House in Quarterbridge Road.

[Diomed]

Bishop Nichols will also be known for his flogging off the fine St Marys Church on The Parade in Castletown at the same time. All the church wanted was a bit TLC, but not from him.

And people wonder why no one goes to church any more when we get the likes of that over here.