![]() In its offices passenger arrivals and departures could be logged, and there could be checks for smuggled goods which in the early 19th century were commonplace between the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom. The stone was a distinct reddish colour, and this gave rise to the pier's name. ![]() The pier and its associated public buildings were constructed with stone imported from the Isle of Arran off the west coast of Scotland. The pier was 530 ft (162 m) long, and was driven out to the limit of low water, extending more than 50 yards beyond the end of the old wrecked pier which had preceded it. The Red Pier, paid for by the British Treasury, cost £25,000 (equivalent to £2,030,000 in 2021). The Red Pier was designed by George Steuart, a Scotsman who had long been under the patronage of the Dukes of Atholl, and who carried out a number of important commissions in the Island. The ornate Georgian era lighthouse at the end of the Red Pier. Work on the Red Pier commenced in 1793 and was completed in 1801, the foundation stone being laid by John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl, following his appointment as Governor General of the Isle of Man. In the 1830s arrivals at Douglas were under 100,000 but increased steadily throughout the century, peaking at over 650,000 by 1913. īy 1833 passenger traffic had undergone a remarkable process of progressive development, and due to the imposition of the Passenger Tax accurate passenger records became available. With the sailings of these vessels augmented by the arrival of the City of Glasgow, the full journey from the Mersey to the Clyde via Douglas could be made in 25 hours. A year later this service was augmented, with three ships appearing on the station - these being the Robert Bruce, the Superb and the Majestic. The first steamer called at the island on its voyage from the Clyde to Liverpool, and in 1819 James Little opened the first steamship service to the island, with Douglas as a port of call between Liverpool and Greenock. ![]() In 1787 the pier was reduced to rubble following a series of winter storms, and so for many years Douglas Harbour was fully exposed to easterly gales, whilst in the bay the perilous Conister Rock claimed many victims. Then the sides of the small Douglas River basin were shored up, and there was another try to extend some sort of protective structure out to sea but this again failed. In 1760 construction of what amounted to a pier was begun, however it was wrecked in a severe storm before work was completed. įrom about 1800, many things happened to open up the island to more traffic. The earliest record of infrastructure for the use of Douglas Harbour dates back to 1660. Sketch depiction of Douglas Harbour, circa 1861. ![]()
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