Loaghtan Books

No, we haven't moved.  This is Point of Ayre lighthouse and, on good days like today, we can just see it from the office windows.  It's about twelve miles away across Ramsey Bay.  Not only can we see the lighthouse, we can also see the tidal rip which stretches for about ten miles and is strongest six hours before and six hours after high water at Liverpool.  For the non-technical among us, it's a powerful current and you don't mess with it. Point of Ayre is the northern tip of the Isle of Man and the island itself is roughly midway between England/Scotland and Ireland.  The lighthouse was built in 1818 and lit a year later, after mariners from Liverpool lobbied those in power about the dangers of the Manx coast. A lighthouse is obviously designed to work best at night, but still acts as a landmark during the day: each is painted slightly differently, so mariners know which one they're looking at.  They do have to be paying attention, however.   C...

Just to remind you what a loaghtan sheep looks like.  It's a very old Manx breed - the Vikings probably knew loaghtan - and of course what our publishing house is named after.  It's why our colophon looks as it does: it represents the sheep's head with four horns. Loaghtan sheep are relatively small but make their own fashion statement with their splendid display of headgear.  Four horns is normal but six is not unknown.  Lambs are a gorgeous dark brown, almost black, and get gradually lighter as they get older.  Loaghtan don't always need shearing as the wool tends to fall off.  The fleece doesn't take dye well, but with this colour, who cares. One of our UK customers used to breed loaghtan sheep and, whenever he phoned in an order for his bookshop, regaled us with tales of his flock.  He also gave us several mutton recipes saying that loaghtans are particularly delicious to eat!  We won't be having sheepish discussions with him again though, as ...

Just off shore of Douglas, in Douglas Bay, is Conister Rock, a small reef which is just covered at high tide.  On top of Conister Rock is the Tower of Refuge, a little fairy-tale castle built at the behest of William Hillary. The problem with Conister Rock is that it's very near Douglas Harbour, and was a constant danger to pilots and skippers who didn't know the coast.  Even if they did, adverse storms could still blow sailing ships onto the rock.  Hillary's house, Fort Anne, overlooked the harbour and he got fed up with watching boats wreck and people drown from his drawing room windows.  He decided to do something about it.  He founded the RNLI. That didn't solve the problem of Conister Rock though.  It was still there and still a danger to shipping.  Hillary arranged for the Tower of Refuge - it's said to have got its name from a poem by Wordsworth - to act as both a sign of the rock's position and a refuge for those who ignore the sign.  In i...