The story of a couple’s renovation of a tholtan at the Sloc in Rushen is now being told in a new exhibition at Rushen Heritage Centre.
The exhibition has been curated by Staffan Overgaard from Rushen Heritage Trust, who has worked closely with Katie and Mark to bring the spectacle together.
The tholtan, situated on the right-hand side of the A36 heading towards the Sloc corner at Scard, was known as ‘Croit-e-Kirkjufal’ – which roughly translates to ‘Croft at the Church Mountain’ – when Katie and Mark bought the property in July 2021.
The site is 600ft above sea level, with views stretching from Earystane out towards Castletown and the sea.
Talking about when the pair first saw the tholtan, Katie said: ‘It was a beautiful golden evening and we saw the “for sale” sign so we pulled over.
‘We both fell in love with the place. With the budget we had, we knew we would have to carry out most of the work ourselves. We changed the name to “Rollage ny Twoaie”, which means “North Star” in Manx Gaelic.
‘It seemed the perfect name for a property gazing out across the south of the island.’
The exhibition tells the history of the site and its owners through the years, before charting the obstacles Katie and Mark have faced in bringing the abandoned property back to life.
This includes clearing the site, bringing utilities to it and navigating the planning route.
Mark said: ‘With it being a well-known landmark, the planning conditions were tight and insisted on the retention of the original buildings which were deemed structurally viable.
‘However, the permission was for a two-storey large extension which overwhelmed the original structures and so we applied for a much smaller extension which would suit the site, and our budget, much better.
‘We moved into the large barn, which was phase one of the project, in August this year. We are now working towards phase two, which is connecting the house and rear barn to the larger barn and making them all into one four-bedroom property.’
Staffan said: ‘It’s a fascinating story, both of the site’s rich history, and the incredible journey that Katie and Mark have been on over the last few years, which we are sure will intrigue visitors to the heritage centre.
‘We would like to thank them for sharing their dream project with us.’
This is the final exhibition of the season for the heritage centre, which will officially close for the winter on November 2.
However, the centre will continue to open on certain days each week as a ‘warm space’ between November and the end of February.
Heritage centre volunteers hold art, craft and poetry sessions, and it also acts as a drop-in space for anyone wanting some company.
For more information about the Rushen Heritage Centre, contact John at [email protected] or on 464634.