Little Isabella Little Isabella Little Isabella is a rustic water wheel, situated in Groudle Glen on the Isle of Man, that was originally built in 1893 with the arrival of the Manx Electric Railway to the glen. It has been dubbed the "Little Isabella" owing to its alleged resemblance to the Laxey Wheel in nearby Laxey which was opened in 1854 by Lady Isabella, the wife of the then Lieutenant Governor of the island. In its time the wheel has been used for various purposes, including pumping water to the Groudle Hotel (designed by Hugh Ballie-Scott) and providing power for the fairy
SS Ellan Vannin (1883) passage – something which would have caused her master no particular concern. However, the weather rapidly worsened and by 06:35hrs, when the ship arrived at the Mersey Bar lightship, the wind had risen to a Hurricane Force 12, and waves were reported to be exceeding in height. A strong consensus at the time was that with a following sea the "Ellan Vannin" had made good time to the Bar Lightship. Upon reaching the Bar her course would have been changed from approximately 130 degrees to 080 degrees as she entered the approach channel to the river. This would have caused