Cregneash

Not far from Port St. Mary, on the way to Port Erin, is the small village of Cregneash. This place is a museum of the way life once was on the island. It was opened as such in 1938 with the last resident, Harry Kelly, died and left his cottage and land to his brother who not wanting it, donated it to the state.



It is a compact place with buildings perched on this hill overlooking the sea.

Even though the museum is closed in the winter, I happened to meet the young woman who is the caretaker of the place. She let me in to see Harry Kelly's cottage. It is apparently still in the state that Harry left it. The plates on the sideboard might seem odd for a single fellow, but these served as a kind of bank depository for him. This style of blue plate was the upscale sort of dish in his time, so when his life as a fisherman and farmer did well he bought a plate. When there was a bad patch, he'd sell it back. Kind of a private pawn shop that Harry used to smooth out his cash flow.

From outside beside Harry's place, we can see the Calf of Man, the island just off the coast. The fact that we can see this means that the wind can get here. The cottage with this southwest facing entrance means it is at the mercy of the weather. I was told that once, after a hail storm, the pain was all beat off the front of the building. Hard life out here.