An exhibition marking the 150th anniversary of the death of Port Erin benefactor William Milner has opened at Rushen Heritage Centre.
Drawn from the 2021 exhibition of the same name, ‘Milner: The Man & The Tower’, which marked the 150th anniversary of the building of Milner Tower, it tells the story of one of the port’s greatest benefactors.
A world-renowned safe maker, Wiliam Milner was born in Sheffield but moved to the Isle of Man in 1860, where he lived at ‘The Rest’.
The Rest was located on the corner site opposite the Falcon’s Nest Hotel, currently home to the Milner Towers apartment block.
William Milner
Milner suffered from poor health throughout this life and had visited Port Erin for many years before retiring to the Island, a move which followed a tragedy, when a young boy was killed during a competition between Milner’s firm and a rival to test each other’s safes.
Milner became heavily involved in life within Port Erin, building the cottages on St Catherine’s Terrace to house poor fishermen, along with the Falcon’s Nest.
He was instrumental in the building of the new breakwater, which was completed in 1864, but was destroyed by storms two decades later.
After his death on 30th September 1874, Milner’s estate funded the building of St Catherine’s Church in Port Erin, in memory of his wife, Jane.
Over the years, Milner Tower has become one of the most iconic – and most photographed – landmarks in the Island.
Man and The Tower
‘Milner: The Man & The Tower’ will be on display at Rushen Heritage Centre until October 5.
This new version of the exhibition has been curated by Rushen Heritage Trust volunteers Julia Vanderpump and Christa Viohl.
Julia said: “The 2021 exhibition held at St Catherine’s Church Hall was a huge success and we wanted to revisit the story of Milner and his philanthropy to coincide with the 150th anniversary of his death at the end of September.
“This will give those who couldn’t visit the exhibition three years ago the opportunity to learn about Milner’s life and the legacy he left behind.”
Also returning for the duration of the exhibition is Milner Tower Ale, which was first produced by Bushy’s Brewery for the 2021 exhibition.
Rushen Heritage Trust, which is celebrating its 10th birthday this year, would like to thank Gough Ritchie Charitable Trust for its support towards this season’s exhibitions.
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