Bradda Head
Encyclopedia
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, rising to a height of 382 feet (116.4 m). It shelters Port Erin Bay from the north.
There is a clifftop walk, the Coronation Footpath, up to the head and around the head via Milner's Tower. This was built in 1871 as a view tower in memory of William Milner of the then-famous Milner's Safe Co. Ltd., maker of fire-resistant safes and a local philanthropist. His tower is built in the shape of a key and lock. The Mourne Mountains of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
can sometimes be seen from the summit.
History
CopperCopper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
was quarried here in the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. There is an ancient cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
on nearby Bradda Hill. An ancient coin hoard was found at Bradda Head in 1848. Prior to the Second World War, there was a thriving fishing trade in scallops taken off Bradda Head. There are disused mine workings on the headland, local documents show that mining took place from at least the 1650s until closure in 1874, by which time the shafts had been sunk far below sea-level.
Contemporary uses
The site is popular with walkers, photographers and artists, and the "Kodak World's Best Photograph" was made here. C.W. Powell won £20,000 for the picture. The clear waters of the headland are also popular with scuba diversScuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
.