Port Erin

infobox UK place
crown_dependency = Isle of Man
official_name= Port Erin
manx_name= Purt Chiarn
latitude= 54.085
longitude= -4.755
population = 3,369 (2001 Census)
manx_parish= Rushen
manx_shedding= Rushen
constituency_manx_parliament= Rushen
post_town= ISLE OF MAN
postcode_district = IM9
postcode_area= IM
dial_code= 01624
map_type = Isle of Man
os_grid_reference= SC196691
douglas_distance=
static_

static_image_caption=Seafront at Port Erin
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Port Erin ( _gv. Purt Chiarn) is a town in the south of the Isle of Man in the British Isles. Its population is 3,369 according to the 2001 census.

History

The name means either Lord's Port or Iron Port. The outer breakwater, visible at low tide only, was an abandoned project constructed in 1863 using the Port Erin Breakwater Railway and saw the first steam locomotive used on the island; a severe storm of 1884 later destroyed the breakwater and it was never rebuilt. Today, a marker buoy shows the extent of the breakwater and the land end is still clearly discernible.

The contemporary town

Port Erin is a friendly seaside resort with a harbour.

The beach is sandy and sheltered by two headlands. One, Bradda Head, has a memorial tower called Milner's Tower. The promenade, which is somewhat higher than the seafront, primarily consists of hotels - mostly built in the Victorian era, although due to changes in taste among tourists, many of these are being converted into flats and apartments. The town is famed for its views including spectacular sunsets over Port Erin Bay and Bradda Head as well as frequent glimpses of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland in the distance.

The town is home to an arts centre, the Erin Arts Centre, which hosts the biggest international viola competition in the world and runs over 200 events a year. There is a railway museum. The museum is attached to the Port Erin railway station, the western terminus of the Isle of Man steam railway.

One of the more famous residents in recent years was racing driver Nigel Mansell.

The 2006 film "Stormbreaker" was filmed on Port Erin beach.

The harbour was home to a University of Liverpool Marine Biology department. The Marine Biology lab, however, was closed down in 2006 due to funding shortages and the building's future is as yet undecided.

External links

* [http://www.isleofman.com/Tourism/Introduction/Towns/PortErin.aspx Information about Port Erin]
* [http://www.erinartscentre.com/ The Erin Arts Centre]
* [http://www.liv.ac.uk/ University of Liverpool]
* [http://www.porterinhotels.com/ Port Erin Hotels]