Laxey of the Isle of Man, was built in 1854 to pump water from the Laxey mine shafts. Now a tourist attraction, it remains the largest working waterwheel in the world. Designed by Robert Casement, it is in diameter and wide. It revolves at about 3 rpm. The mines employed over 600 miners at their peak, producing lead, copper, silver and zinc, until they closed in 1929. The Wheel was owned by Edwin Kneale from 1939 to 1965; he saved it from being dismantled and ran it as a tourist attraction, before passing it on to the Manx nation, with the
SS Ellan Vannin (1854) to charter the "Ellan Vannin" for the winter months of 1856-57. The rate for the charter was to be £50 per week (equivalent to £ in ) with a further payment of £28 per week (equivalent to £ in ) towards the wages of the crew. The charterer was to be also responsible for the costs of coal, oil and port charges. As terms of this potential charter, the directors had undertaken measures to enable the direct link between Castletown and Liverpool to be maintained. An agreement had been reached with the Ramsey Steam Company who would employ their vessel