Kate's Cottage, Isle of Man

Kate's Cottage, Isle of Man a former Mountain Shepherd's cottage is situated adjacent to the 34th TT Milestone racing road-side milestone marker used on the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course near to Keppel Gate on the primary A18 Snaefell mountain road in Kirk Onchan parish, in the Isle of Man.[1][2]

Kate's Cottage
Coordinates54°12′40.5″N 4°28′37.4″W
Built1864-1866, 1922 (road built),
Location of Kate's Cottage in Isle of Man

Keppel Gate and the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road

The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road was developed in the mid-19th century from a number of pre-existing narrow mountain roads, carting-tracks and horse-paths.[3]

This section of the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road from the Keppel Gate to the Windy Corner was built on sections of common grazing land that were transferred to the UK Crown following the sale of the Islands feudal and manorial rights by John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl as Governor of the Isle of Man in the period 1824-1829.[4]

The Tynwald Disafforesting Commission of 1860 allowed for the proposed sale of mountain land held by the UK Crown to the HM Commissioners of Woods.[5] A condition of sale was the building of a new mountain road from near Hillberry Corner to the Windy Corner. This included the installation of a number of mountain gates including the Beinn-y-Phott gate near to the Brandywell road junction and Keppel Gate.

The new mountain ‘highroads’ were built in the period 1864-1866, replacing and bypassing older sections of mountain tracks including the Keppel Gate section.[6] The section of the mountain road from the Creg-ny-Baa road junction to near Kate’s Cottage was rebuilt in the period 1892-1893[7] and again modified in 1922.[8]

Area of Specific Scientific Interest

The mountain land of moorland "heath" of Keppel Gate, including Slieau Ree Mountain and Kate’s Cottage is an Area of Specific Scientific Interest (ASSI) and upland conservation "hot-spot."[9]

Origin of name

The formal legal names of the building include the "Keppel Gate Cottage," or "Keppel Gate." Previously, also informally known as the "Shepherd’s Hut" or Tate's Cottage,[10] now known as Kate’s Cottage. [11][12]

It has often been alluded to that a BBC commentator mistakenly referred to Tate's Cottage as Kate's Cottage. The name may have originated as a printers typesetting error with the mountain cottage at the Keppel mountain accidentally being transposed to Kate's Cottage during the printing process.

"OUR LETTER BOX..."I live in the house known as "Kate's Cottage," but it is a printers mistake as it should be "Tate's Cottage." GEOFFREY RHODES TATE.

[13]

The property a former Mountain Shepherd's cottage, owned by the Isle of Man Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, was sold at public auction in 1994 and is now in private ownership.[14]

Motor-sport heritage

Contemporary photographs of the RAC Tourist Trophy races for automobiles held in the Isle of Man 1905–1922 and the Isle of Man TT races in the 1920s, show sheep-gates at Kate's Cottage[15] and also at Keppel Gate, with the name Keppel Gate in general referred to both locations.[16]

The Keppel Gate section of the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road was part of the 52.15-mile (83.93 km) Highland Course (amended to 40.38 miles (64.99 km) in 1906[17]) and the 37.5-mile (60.4 km) Four Inch Course used for car racing including the 1904 Gordon Bennett Trial and the RAC Tourist Trophy car races held between 1905 and 1922.[18]

In 1911, the Four Inch Course was first used by the Auto-Cycling Union for the Isle of Man TT motorcycle races.[19] This included the Keppel Gate section[20] and Kate's Cottage[21][22] and the course later became known as the 37.73 mile Isle of Man TT Mountain Course for motor-cycle racing which has been used since 1911 for the Isle of Man TT and from 1923 for the Manx Grand Prix races.[23][24]

  • Michael Dunlop racing by Kate's Cottage on a demonstration lap during the 2009 TT races, riding an updated version of the 1990s rotary-engined Norton RCW588
  • Kate's Cottage, looking in the opposite direction of a lap of the TT course (vehicles shown on left side of road are going north) with Creg-ny-Baa behind the camera position

References
  1. Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Four Sheading of Garff (Kirk Maughold & Ramsey, Kirk Lonan and Kirk Connchan) page 402 Kirk Connchan by George Broderick (1999) Manx Place- Name Survey, Max Niemeyer Verlag Tubingen ISBN 3-484-40138-9 (Gesamtwerk) 3-484-10132-X Druck: Das Weihert-Druck GmbH Darmstadt, Eiband: Siegfried Geiger, Ammerbuch "Kates Cottage….."
  2. International Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Races and Production Machine Races 3 June 5, 7 & 9 1972 – Official Programme and Guide FIM The World Championship Road Races page 72 Auto-Cycle Union (1972) Fleet Studios London – Charles Frost Ltd
  3. Isle of Man Examiner page 5 Thursday 5 June 1969
  4. BIBLIOTHECA MONENSIS A bibliographical account of works relating to the Isle of Man. page 237-256 William Harrison The Manx Society Douglas MDCCCLXXVI "1824.—An Act empowering the Lords of the Treasury to Purchase all the Manorial Rights of the Duke of Atholl in the Isle of Man, 6th Geo. IV., Cap. 34. 10th June."
  5. Manx Milestones pages 13–17 and pages 57–58 by Stuart Slack (1st Edition)(2003)The Manx Experience ISBN 1-873120-58-3
  6. Manx Sun page 5 Saturday 24 November 1866
  7. Isle of Man Times page 20 Saturday 13 February 1892
  8. Motor Cycling page 103 31 May 1922
  9. Guidelines for the selection of biological Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) on the Isle of Man Volume 2: Detailed habitat and species criteria page 108 The Isle of Man Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (2008) (DAFF)
  10. Isle of Man Examiner Friday 12th November 1943
  11. Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Four Sheading of Garff (Kirk Maughold & Ramsey, Kirk Lonan and Kirk Connchan) page 402-403 Kirk Connchan by George Broderick (1999) Manx Place- Name Survey, Max Niemeyer Verlag Tubingen ISBN 3-484-40138-9 (Gesamtwerk) 3-484-10132-X Druck: Das Weihert-Druck GmbH Darmstadt, Eiband: Siegfried Geiger, Ammerbuch "really Tate’s Cottage from Rody Tate, shepherd in the 1940’s/50’s. Always known as the Shepherd’s Hut OD1991..."
  12. Isle of Man Examiner page 9 Thursday 25th May 1950
  13. Isle of Man Examiner page 5 Thursday 9 April 1937
  14. Isle of Man Examiner – Brialtagh Ellan Vannin page 21 SECOND FRONT Isle of Man Newspapers Ltd (2003) Johnson Press Publishing Ltd Tuesday 3 June 2003 "The man who owns the TT des res...." ISSN 1358-4383
  15. TT Special page 15 Editor G.S.Davison 16 June 1933 "....The view is perfect; not only can we see Kate's Cottage at Keppel Gate, but also the outline of the Snaefell Hotel...."
  16. Motocourse History of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Races 1907–1989 by Nick Harris page 24 and page 100 (1990)(1st Edition) Hazelton Publishing ISBN 0-905138-71-6 "....The Gate is kept open at Keppel Gate during the 1921 Senior TT Race. This part of the Course is now called Kate's Cottage."
  17. TT Pioneers – Early Car Racing in the Isle of Man page 22 Robert Kelly, Mercury Asset Management (1996)(1st Edition) The Manx Experience, The Alden Press ISBN No 1 873120 61 3
  18. Isle of Man Car Races 1904–1953 page 30 by Neil Hanson (2015) Lily Publications ISBN 978-1-907945-36-6
  19. The Manx Experience. A Souvenir Guide to the Isle of Man. page 66-67 Gordon N. Kniverton 8th edition The Manx Experience (1987) Mannin Publishing Ltd
  20. Isle of Man Green Final page 8 TOURIST TROPHY RACES Saturday 5 May 1962
  21. TT Special page 10 JUNIOR RACE --- COURSE JOTTINGS edited by G.S. Davison Wednesday 14 June 1933 "TT Special" Observer Jottings
  22. Daily Express Tuesday 6 June 1972 Supplement page 3
  23. The History of the Manx Grand Prix page 7, 8, 9 by Bill Snelling and Peter Kneale Amulree Publishing(1998) Manx Heritage Foundation ISBN 1 901508 04 8
  24. Isle of Man Times page 8 MANX GRAND PRIX MOTOR CYCLE RACES Saturday 2 August 1952
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