Laxey Wheel (Lady Isabella)

The largest working waterwheel left standing anywhere in the world, built in 1854 to pump floodwater out of the Great Laxey lead mines below the village. Its designer, Robert Casement, named it Lady Isabella after the wife of the island's then-Lieutenant Governor. The wheel is more than 22 metres across and once drove a network of underground pump rods stretching deep into the hillside. It now anchors the wider Great Laxey Wheel & Mines Trail, a walking route through the remains of the old mining works, and is cared for by Manx National Heritage. From the viewing platform at the top, reached by an internal staircase, the Laxey valley and the coast beyond open out in one sweep.