The Laxey Wheel quiz, and myth or fact
Test yourself. Every answer comes with its source.
How to play. Pick an answer and the fact behind it appears, with a link to where it comes from. Without JavaScript, open “Show the answer” under each question.
Ten questions
1 How wide is the Great Laxey Wheel?
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72 feet 6 inches. It is 72 feet 6 inches across, which Manx National Heritage gives as over 22 metres. Manx National Heritage, visiting
2 Who designed it?
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Robert Casement. It was designed by local engineer Robert Casement. Manx National Heritage, learning
3 Who was it named after?
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The Lieutenant Governor’s wife. She was named after Lady Isabella Hope, wife of the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Charles Hope. Manx National Heritage, Google Arts & Culture
4 What was it built to do?
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Pump water out of a mine. It was one of several water wheels pumping the Great Laxey Mine, but the largest. Manx National Heritage, learning
5 Why water power rather than steam?
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The Island had no coal. Casement chose water because the Isle of Man had no coal to fire steam engines. Manx National Heritage, Google Arts & Culture
6 How many buckets are there around the rim?
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168. There are 168 buckets around the rim. Manx National Heritage, learning
7 What turns the push and pull of the rods into the up-and-down of the pump rod?
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The T-rocker. At the shaft, a T-rocker turns that back-and-forth push into the up-and-down stroke of the pump rod. Manx National Heritage, learning
8 Which ore did Laxey produce more of than any other mine in the British Isles, at full production?
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Zinc. At full production the mine produced more zinc than any other mine in the British Isles. Manx National Heritage, Google Arts & Culture
9 Who saved the wheel from demolition?
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Edwin Kneale. He was 32, and risked his livelihood to save the wheel from demolition. Manx National Heritage, 2022
10 When did it turn again after stopping in September 2020?
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October 2022. It turned again in October 2022, after extensive work. Isle of Man Today
Myth or fact?
Eight statements. Some are true, some are myths.
1 The wheel is turned by the weight of water in its buckets.
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Fact. The weight of water in the buckets drives the wheel round. Manx National Heritage, Google Arts & Culture
2 Water reaches the top of the wheel along an open aqueduct.
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Myth. In 1854 the paper explained the puzzle: there is no aqueduct to the top, because the water rises through an iron tube inside the slender white tower. Illustrated London News, 1854
3 The pumps sat right underneath the wheel.
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Myth. Google Arts & Culture puts the pumps in the engine shaft 183 metres (600 feet) from the wheel. Manx National Heritage, Google Arts & Culture
4 The rods run on small wheels called bogies.
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Fact. Sixteen sets of bogies, little wheels, carry the connecting rods back and forth along the viaduct. Isle of Man Today
5 Miners went down to work by lift.
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Myth. Each shift began with a long, slow climb down ladders. Manx National Heritage, learning
6 In 1854 a Manx newspaper called it the largest wheel in Europe.
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Fact. The Manx Sun hailed it as the “largest wheel in Europe”. Illustrated London News, 1854
7 The T-rocker could be lifted out with an ordinary crane.
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Myth. The T-rocker sits in the valley beyond the reach of normal cranes, so it was dismantled inside a custom-made scaffold. Isle of Man Today
8 The wheel case carries the three legs of Man.
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Fact. The wheel case carries the Isle of Man’s coat of arms, the three legs of Man. Manx National Heritage, Google Arts & Culture
See it move
Follow the water from the hillside to the river, one step at a time.