An exhibition of vintage photographs of the island’s towns and villages is on at Ramsey town hall and attracting island-wide interest.

‘The Grand Tour: A vintage photographic tour of Ellan Vannin’ sponsored by Cains Gordon Bell of Ramsey in support of Ramsey National Week features around 550 photographs, largely from the Edwardian era, curated by Ray Stanfield, together with Les Clarke, Michael Starkey and Ramsey Town Commissioners’ chairman Richard Radcliffe, all of whom loaned material. Other contributors include Alan and Mike Kelly, Ian and Sally McMullen, Ray Jopson, Tony Harmer, John Hitchen, Dave Wilson, Ruth Burns and Janet Mcaneney.

Mr Radcliffe said: ‘The Commissioners are pleased to be hosting this exhibition which provides a fascinating insight into the Isle of Man’s past and is proving popular with residents and visitors from all corners of the island and further afield. We are grateful to Cains Gordon Bell for their continued support and to all those who generously loaned what are clearly much treasured photographs. The process to scan and prepare the images for display will, I am sure, have been painstaking and time consuming but the end result is an exhibition which captures the spirit of a bygone age to great effect. Ramsey always merit a visit, of course, but the Grand Tour will make that visit all the more memorable.’

‘The Grand Tour: A vintage photographic tour of Ellan Vannin’ is on at Ramsey town hall until the end of July.

Photo - Les Clarke, Ramsey Town Commissioners’ chairman Richard Radcliffe, Ian Scott of Cains Gordon Bell, the exhibition’s sponsor, and Ramsey town clerk Peter Whiteway. Picture Andrew Barton.