Harry Kelly’s Cottage at Cregneash is set to reopen to visitors after Manx National Heritage completed extensive conservation works prompted by storm damage to its thatched roof last year.
What began as a roof‑replacement project expanded into a full investigation of the historic structure, with specialists repairing stone walls, chimney stacks and eaves, replacing roof timbers and turf scraa, and re‑thatching the roof in the traditional Manx style.
The cottage has also been freshly whitewashed using traditional materials including lime mortar, lime wash and locally sourced clay.
Research and evidence uncovered during the works, including historic photographs, helped the team better understand the building’s original construction and retain as much historic fabric as possible. The cottage’s distinctive roof uses wheat‑straw thatch laid over thinly cut turf, a technique unique to the island.
John‑Paul Walker, Historic Buildings Architect for Manx National Heritage, said conserving the seemingly simple building required specialist knowledge, from sourcing appropriate materials to replicating traditional techniques. He said the team was pleased to welcome visitors back inside.
Harry Kelly’s Cottage holds particular significance in Manx cultural history. Home to renowned Manx speaker Harry Kelly, it was gifted to the Manx Museum after his death and became the first building at Cregneash to open to the public in 1938, forming the foundation of the British Isles’ first open‑air folk museum.
