Remembering Summerland

Summerland, an indoor entertainment and leisure complex, opened at the northern end of Douglas Promenade on the Isle of Man on 25 May 1971. Climate-controlled and covering 3.5 acres the front and part of the roof was clad in Oroglas, a transparent acrylic glass sheeting.

Summerland had seven floors, inside was a dance hall, a roller-skating rink, restaurants and bars. It was intended by the operator Trust House Forte to entertain up to 10,000 tourists at any one time. Many holidaymakers had fun at Summerland those first two years.

The fire at Summerland started around 7:30pm. Around 3,000 people were inside enjoying the evening's entertainments, including the usual live music. The fire spread quickly across the highly combustible sheeting on the walls and roof, the open-plan design aiding its hold.

All 16 engines of the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service and 93 of its 106 firefighters arrived on scene to battle the blaze. People meanwhile helplessly watched from Douglas Promenade as the disaster unfolded.

It was not until those inside saw the flames that there was an awful rush for the exits. Because of the locked fire doors many people headed to the main entrance. Maggie Clarke remembers the crush.

Manx Radio broadcaster Alan Jackson just happened to be on Douglas Promenade to record the scene as it unfolded. His sad and unforgettable broadcast was played that evening on Manx Radio.

Chief Constable, Frank Weedon went on Manx Radio at 1am and gave the shocking news of "approximately 20 dead". He also made an appeal to boarding housekeepers on the Isle of Man to report to Douglas Police Station any missing boarders. 

"Not for one minute did we think they would never come home." Holidaymakers Richard Cheetham, his wife Elizabeth Cheetham and their daughter June Cheetham were all sadly lost in the disaster.

Many people found it difficult to talk about the fire and what they had witnessed.

A memorial service was held at the Villa Marina, Douglas. The fire killed 50 people, eleven of them under the age of twenty.

A public inquiry, held at the Villa Marina, Douglas, ran from September 1973 to February 1974. No specific individuals were blamed and the deaths were attributed to misadventure, although the delay in evacuation and the flammable building materials were condemned.

On the 40th anniversary of the disaster a permanent memorial was unveiled at Kaye Memorial Gardens, at the bottom of Summer Hill, Douglas.

The full oral history interviews (excerpts of which were kindly shared by Culture Vannin) can be listened to by visiting the Culture Vannin 'Summerland Remembered' here.