Pleasure Domes and Picture Palaces – The Story of Seaside Entertainments on the Isle of Man

Most Manx people had few entertainments before the late eighteenth century. Merry making was confined to dancing to the music of the fiddle. Then an eighteenth-century fashion for sea-bathing saw many wealthy ‘strangers’ visit Manx shores, and, as the century ended, traditional British Grand Tours of Europe became impossible because of continental wars. Further affluent English visitors travelled to the island seeking an alternative experience. The numerous new arrivals attracted musical and theatrical camp followers, who considerably broadened the available range of island entertainments. The nineteenth century Industrial Revolution expanded the island’s visitor base further by providing the British working-class with sufficient funds to afford annual holidays. As a result, island visitor numbers increased rapidly, and eager entrepreneurs quickly seized on new opportunities for profit-making. Huge entertainment halls opened, and the best of British music-hall entertainers appeared on Manx stages to entertain the visiting throng. Douglas became a premier European holiday resort, overflowing with theatres, dance halls, and cinemas. This book traces that story from start to finish. 

Softback A5. 292 pages.