The Isle of Man Victorian Society started a Heritage Fund at a coffee morning in the 1980’s to support local organisations with the restoration of Victorian and Edwardian items. Funds stood at a few hundreds of pounds for many years but was enlarged from 2005 thanks to the Camera Obscura in Douglas.
The Society has operated the Great Union Camera Obscura since it reopened in 2005. Whilst owned by Government, the Society has been permitted to retain the takings given as it is our volunteers who operate the building throughout the holiday season. As a result, the takings are placed in our Heritage Account and used to assist charities and other groups or individuals to ensure other Victorian and Edwardian buildings or objects are kept for future generations to enjoy and appreciate
Regrettably the Covid 19 pandemic has meant the Victorian Society Organising Committee took the decision in March 2020 to suspend these activities during 2020 and will seek to resume them in 2021 or 2022 when fully safe to do so. This was because the majority of our volunteers are classed by the NHS to fall within one or more of the ‘vulnerable’ medical categories.
Applications for support funding must be made prior to any work being carried out. This cannot cover general maintenance works. Where we have contributed to the repair of wet and dry rot these were discovered unexpectedly. We do not give 100% grants but what we give is intended to ‘prime the pump’ in the hope of encouraging others to give. Here are some examples of works where we have helped. Victorian Society Members can read more details on these grants in the Newsletter articles detailed at the end of each item.
If you have a project you would like to be considered for support, further details and application forms are available on request throughout the year - please see our Contact Us page. Each application is considered on its merits by our Organising Committee which includes our Case Worker.
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2004 Onchan Village Hall
(L-R) Victorian Society committee member Beryl Deakin, Harvey Briggs, Captain of Onchan Parish, Victorian Society Secretary Ruth Kelly.
The grant of £2,000 was towards the removal of 1960's boarding from on top of the original pine wainscoting and the rerouting of electrical cables
(Newsletter 66 page 22)
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2007 Presentation to Canon Freer, Kirk Braddan towards roof dry and wet rot repairs.
(L-R) Victorian Society Secretary Ruth Kelly, Canon Freer and Victorian Society Vice-Chairman Richard Leventhorpe.
The grant of £2,000 was made towards the total estimate of £40,000 for tackling both wet and dry rot discovered high up in the roof of the church.
(Newsletter No. 77, page 23)
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2009 Presentation of £3,000 to the Laxey Working Men’s Institute for restoration of the entrance porch area.
(L-R) Victorian Society committee member Beryl Deakin, members of the Institute Dennis Godard and Treasurer Neil Atkinson, Victorian Society Secretary Ruth Kelly and committee member Bob Stimpson.
(Newsletter No. 83, page 19)
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2010 Donation of £3,185 to the trustees of Onchan Village Hall for manufacture and fitting of stained glass windows into the glazed panels of the internal door panels which had been broken over the years and replaced by obscure glass.
(Newsletter 86, page 31)
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2011 Presentation of £1,000 to St Matthew’s Church Douglas to support work restoring boundary railings. (L-R) vicar the Rev Canon Duncan Whitworth and Victorian Society Chairman Rev Canon Dr Hinton Bird.
Many years previously the IOM Victorian Society gave several hundred pounds towards the cost of altering stained glass windows removed from Finch Hill Congregational Church to fit the window openings in St Matthews. The Finch Hill church was subsequently demolished.
(Newsletter No. 88 page 33)
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2011 Presentation of £1,000 to the Laxey and Lonan Heritage Trust towards restoration of two Manx Electric Railway vans. (L-R) A Trust Member, Peter Kelly, Victorian Society Caseworker, Trust Director Andrew Scarffe, Joseph Rock.
(Newsletter No. 88, page 33)
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2013 Jurby Church - Presentation of £2,500 to the Friends of Jurby Church (L-R) Eddie O'Sullivan from Faith in Action, Victorian Society Chairman Rev Canon Dr Hinton Bird, Mrs Sue Cooke, Church Warden, Michael Starkey from The Friends of Jurby Church.
This was to assist in the re-leading of a window created by the artist Joseph Nüggens of Aarchen in Germany, who came to London in 1895. He was a Fellow of the Society of Master Glass Painters and his greatly appreciated work can also be be seen at over 300 locations throughout Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Ethoipia and Hong Kong.
(Newsletter 93, page 3)
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2014 Presentation of £1,000 to the Friends of Malew Church for rooflight renewal. (L-R) Victorian Society Vice Chairman Bob Stimpson presents the cheque to Friends treasurer Neil Crookall and Church Council member Richard Higgins.
(Newletter No. 99, page 30).
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2014 Presentation of £1,500 to Ballaugh Parish church towards restoration of the church porch window and a small balance towards other work.(L-R) Rev. Cyril Rogers, Appeal Committee member Joy Ling and Victorian Society Chairman Rev Canon Dr Hinton Bird.
This was undertaken at the same time as more major stained glass windows in the chancel of the church. In recognition of our grant a plaque was erected beneath the window by the church authorities.
(Newletter No. 99, page 30)
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2014 Presentation of £770 to St Olave’s Church, Ramsey, towards roof wet rot repairs.
(L-R) Church Wardens Brian Evans-Smith, David Barker and Oliver Hibbert, with Victorian Society Chairman Rev Canon Dr Hinton Bird.
(Newletter No. 99, page 30).
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2016 Presentation of £2,000 to St Stephen’s Church, Sulby, towards restoration of damaged stained glass window. (L-R) PCC Secretary Jean Vernon Victorian Society Chairman Bob Stimpson and Church Warden Juan Vernon .
(Newsletter No. 104 page 35)
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2017 Following an appeal for funds of £12,000 made by Michael Parish Church in January, the Society agreed to contribute
£2,000 to the appeal to repair the badly oxidised frame to the Eastern stained glass window.
A re-dedication service took place on 15th October.
(Newsletter No. 108 Page 20)
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2019 Following a special lecture the Society gave in Onchan Village Hall - designed by architect Baillie Scott - to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth in 1865 it was agreed that we would contribute towards the cost of solid wood replacement internal doors to peripheral rooms at the Hall.
(L-R) Victorian Society Secretary Ruth Kelly with Friends of Onchan Heritage Management Committee Treasurer Peter Cory.
The presentation of a cheque for £700 was made during a live broadcast on Friday 8th November on Manx Radio from the hall as part of their series on village halls.
(Newsletter No. 111 page 37)
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