Rhencullen Explained

Rhencullen (gv| ‘holly ridge’) ^[1] including Birkin's Bend^[2] is adjacent to the 17th milestone of the TT course, on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey road in the Isle of Man.

Location

Rhencullen (archaic Balla-ny-Rhenney beg) is a former quarterland district located between Kirk Michael village and Bishopscourt with the road junction of the tertiary C19 Orrisdale Loop road, in the parish of Michael. The area is dominated by the farmland at Ballarhenny and the Bishop's Demesne of Bishopscourt, including Birkin's Bend, 'Cloudy Lane'^[3] and Rhencullen Hill.

The disused Peel to Ramsey line of the former Manx Northern Railway runs parallel to the A3 road at Rhencullen in a cutting, now part of the Raad ny Foillan long-distance footpath.^[4]

Motor-sport heritage

The Rhencullen section was part of the 37.50 Mile Four Inch Course for the RAC Tourist Trophy automobile races held in the Isle of Man between 1908 and 1922.^[5]

In 1911, the Four Inch Course for automobiles was first used by the Auto-Cycling Union for the Isle of Man TT motorcycle races.^[6] This included Rhencullen (previously Orrisdale South)^[7] and the course later became known as the 37.73 mile Isle of Man TT Mountain Course, which has been used since 1911 for the Isle of Man TT Races and from 1923 for the Manx Grand Prix races.^[8]

Birkin’s bend

During an early morning practice session for the 1927 Isle of Man TT races, Archie Birkin, riding a 500 cc McEvoy motor-cycle, crashed fatally at Rhencullen after swerving to avoid a collision with a fish-van being driven on open public roads.^{[9] [10]} The corner at Rhencullen on the A3 road where the accident occurred was named as 'Birkin's Bend'.^[11] From 1928 onward, practice sessions for the TT Races and Manx Grand Prix were held on closed public roads.^[12]

Road improvements

The Rhencullen complex of bends including Birkin's Bend was subjected to extensive road widening and reprofiling by the Isle of Man Highway and Transport Board during the winter of 1953/1954 for the 1954 Isle of Man TT races.^[13]

Notes and References

1. Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Two. Sheading of Michael: (Kirk Michael, Ballaugh and Jurby) page 94 Kirk Michael by George Broderick – Turbingen ; Niemeyer NE:HST (1995) Manx Place- Name Survey, Max Niemeyer Verlag Tubingen (Gesamtwerk) 3-484-40130-3 (Band 2) Druck und Eiband: Weihert-Druck GmbH Darmstadt. “Rhencullen Small district SC39SW SC32499190."
2. The Guardian page 2 Monday 3 June 1957
3. Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Two. Sheading of Michael: (Kirk Michael, Ballaugh and Jurby) page 57 Kirk Michael by George Broderick – Turbingen ; Niemeyer NE:HST (1995) Manx Place- Name Survey, Max Niemeyer Verlag Tubingen (Gesamtwerk) 3-484-40130-3 (Band 2) Druck und Eiband: Weihert-Druck GmbH Darmstadt. “Cloudy Lane…. SC39SW SC32559198”).
4. The Raad ny Foillan Coastal Footpath Section 7 Kirk Michael-Jurby “From Glen Wyllin Campsite head north again on the old railway line through the cutting to Rhencullen.”
5. 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
6. 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
7. TOURIST TROPHY ROAD RACING AUTHORISATION 2018 Road Racing Act 2016 Schedule 4 20.2 page 42 The Isle of Man Department of Infrastructure (2018) J.F. Robinson Director of Highway Services. 18 May 2018
8. The History of the Manx Grand Prix page 7, 8, 9 by Bill Snelling Amulree Publishing(1998) Manx Heritage Foundation
9. The Guardian page 9 Wednesday 8 June 1927
10. Mona’s Herald page 5 T.T. RIDER KILLED Wednesday 8 June 1927
11. Mona’s Herald page 3 Tuesday 14 September 1954 “….a series of corners known as Birkin’s Bends….”
12. Mona’s Herald page 5 A SAFETY MEASURE Wednesday 14 March 1928
13. Isle of Man Weekly Times page 6 Saturday 29 May 1954