NWFed Members, Manx National Heritage, have been busy working with the team at Isle of Man Advertising & PR towards the design and production of a new series of guidebooks. The new series, funded by the Manx Museum and National Trust, are being researched by Manx National Heritage staff to help promote the island’s heritage and unlock the history behind its numerous heritage sites.
Having just launched the second book in the series, ‘Explore Peel Castle’, Edmund Southworth, Director of Manx National Heritage explained a little more about the book:
”Peel Castle is one of the most important historic and religious sites in the British Isles, attracting a significant number of resident and international visitors during the season. The guidebook will not only improve the visitor experience by offering a greater understanding of the site and its historical significance, but will also prove to be effective documentation of our research and understanding of the site itself.”
A 40-page book featuring a number of previously unpublished images and new illustrations by local artist Julia Ashby Smyth as well as images from the Manx National Heritage museum archives, the book is a detailed study not only of the medieval Castle itself, but also tells the story of the historic site of St Patrick’s Isle. Also including details of several excavations which took place during the 20th century, the publication ‘lifts the lid’ on the Island’s history.
The further four books in the series will include a detailed guide to the collections of the Manx Museum, including some of its leading exhibits, as well as the four Castletown sites (Castle Rushen, Old Grammar School, Old House of Keys and the Nautical Museum, the island’s Southern sites (including Cregneash and Rushen Abbey) and the Grove Museum, Ramsey.
Explore Peel Castle, priced at £5.95, can be ordered online at www.manxnationalheritage.im and is available from all MNH retail sites, including the House of Manannan and Manx Museum.