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 (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