An exhibition marking the 150th anniversary of the death of Port Erin benefactor William Milner has opened at Rushen Heritage Centre.

‘Milner: The Man & The Tower’ will be on display at Rushen Heritage Centre in Bridson Street, Port Erin, until Saturday, October 5.

Drawn from the 2021 exhibition of the same name which marked the 150th anniversary of the building of Milner’s Tower, this new exhibition tells the story and details the life of William Milner himself.

A world-renowned safe maker, William Milner was born in Sheffield but moved to the Isle of Man in 1860, where he lived at ‘The Rest’ in Port Erin opposite the Falcon’s Nest Hotel.

Milner became heavily involved in life within Port Erin, building cottages on St Catherine’s Terrace to house fishermen, along with the Falcon’s Nest – the village’s first major hotel.

This new version of the original exhibition has been curated by Rushen Heritage Trust volunteers Julia Vanderpump and Christa Viohl.

Julia commented: ‘The 2021 exhibition held at St Catherine’s Church Hall was a huge success and we wanted to revisit the story of Milner and his philanthropy to coincide with the 150th anniversary of his death at the end of September.

‘This will give those who couldn’t visit the exhibition three years ago the opportunity to learn about Milner’s life and the legacy he left behind.’

Also returning for the duration of the exhibition is Milner Tower Ale, which was first produced by Bushy’s Brewery for the 2021 exhibition, and it can be bought at a variety of pubs in the south of the island.

Christa said: ‘The Ale proved to be a popular drink three years ago and we are delighted that Martin and the team at Bushy’s agreed to bring it back to coincide with this exhibition.’

If you wish to find out more about Rushen Heritage Centre, you can email John Quirk at [email protected]