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moved his residence there in 1861, the Law Courts moved the following year, and by 1869 Douglas had replaced
Castletown as the capital of the island. The House of Keys building in Castletown was described as too small, and "dilapidated with the wallpaper hanging off the wall." In 1874, the House of
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Another design was requested of Brine, but this time for a smaller and less expensive building. In 1818, the Keys purchased the building in which they had formerly met, moving the library to the
Grammar School. The new plans were agreed upon by all concerned, but there continued to be disagreements
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as too expensive, and despite repeated demands for a new meeting place, the proposal was put on hold. Brine carried out a survey of the library in 1817 at the request of the Keys, and condemned the building, resulting in the meetings of the Keys being held in a public house, The George Inn. Despite
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newspaper. The external appearance of the building was described as bland and "more like that of a small country villa, or village jail, than a Senate House." The interior was similarly lambasted, with particular attention being paid to the small space provided for the
Speaker's chair. During the
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undertook the renovation of the building in 2000 and now runs it as a museum. The building has been restored to its appearance in 1866. That year was chosen as it was when the "House of Keys
Election Bill" was passed, making the House of Keys a popularly elected body. In the absence of images
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After being vacated by the Keys, the building was purchased by
Dumbell's Bank. Not long after acquiring the building, the bank removed the ceiling from the chamber, and added a large skylight to create a grand banking hall. The building was repainted in an expensive shade of blue which was
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fashionable at the time. In 1900, when
Dumbell's Bank collapsed, the building was taken over by Parr's Bank. The render was stripped off the outside of the building sometime during the 1910s or 1920s, revealing the limestone underneath. In 1918, the bank became part of
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between the
British Treasury department and the Keys over how to fund the project. The Treasury believed that the cost should be covered by Manx taxes, but the Keys argued that this tax would be excessive. The two parties eventually each agreed to pay some of the
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the comfort afforded by the building, it was criticised as being "...highly improper for any Court of
Justice and particularly so, for one of such importance in this Island as the House of Keys", as recorded in the Journal of the Keys in October 1817.
264:'s library in Castletown. After criticism from a Royal Commission, plans were drawn up for a new meeting house for the Keys in 1813, but after concerns about the cost, they were redrawn and approved in 1819. The building, designed by
288:—is the oldest currently running parliament in the world. It is generally considered to have its origins in the 10th century, but could date back as far as the 8th century. Originally a 32-member Tynwald ruled over the
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cost, and the project was approved on 31 May 1819, just under 30 years after the first discussions. The building was completed in less than two years, and the Keys started using the building in
January 1821.
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Keys' time in the building, they underwent one of their most significant changes. Until 1866, the Keys were a self-elected body, but following pressure from the public, most notably
253:, the former capital of the Isle of Man, in the south of the island. The building was used as the House of Keys from 1821 until 1874, when the parliament was moved to
349:, instructed Thomas Brine, the Clerk of Works for public buildings, to cost and draw up plans for a new House of Keys. These plans were rejected by the British
304:. By the 16th century, Tynwald consisted of an upper and a lower house; the lower house was known as the 24 Keys. At that time, the members met irregularly at
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acquired the building and began restoring the house to how it appeared in 1866. The building opened to the public as a museum in
November 2001.
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268:, was completed in 1821. It housed the House of Keys until 1874, when the Keys followed the other primary functions of the island and moved to
292:, with half of its representatives coming from the Isle of Man. In the 12th century, this dropped to a 24-member Tynwald when the islands of
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Keys moved to the Court House in Douglas, and five years later, into their current home, the Old Bank of Mona building also in Douglas.
410:. In the 1960s, the upper floor of the chamber was replaced. The building was presented to the Castletown Commissioners in 1973 by the
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reported that "...the Keys assemble in a mean decayed building little more than sufficient to contain the number which they consist."
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to help with legal and taxation issues. The Keys continued to meet at Castle Rushen until 1710, when they moved to
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Over twenty years after the Royal Commission's damning report on the state of the library in which the Keys met,
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Prior to 1821, the House of Keys had no official home, but met first at Castle Rushen, and later at the
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until the opening of the Town Hall and Civic Centre in 1989, and then as the Castletown Rural Library.
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Within a year of its completion, the House of Keys was heavily criticised in a letter to the
324:) library in Castletown. Late in the 18th century they still met in the library, of which a
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depicting the interior, written descriptions were used, in conjunction with inventories.
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editor James Brown, the House agreed to be elected by popular vote. During the 1860s,
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on the condition that it serve the town. It was used as the
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245:'s parliament. It is located across the street from
547:Sacheverell, William (1859). Cumming, J. G. (ed.).
16:Former meeting place of the lower house of Tynwald
688:Cooper, William Henry (2005). Wilson, Eva (ed.).
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586:Broadbent, Samuel Keown, ed. (April 1908).
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830:Registered Buildings of the Isle of Man
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820:Former seats of national legislatures
733:"The Old House of Keys: Introduction"
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229:) is the former meeting place of the
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284:The parliament of the Isle of Man—
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690:William Henry Cooper's Castletown
588:"Chronicles of the House of Keys"
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526:"A New Manx Parliament Building"
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35:Facade of the Old House of Keys
617:"Debate 4 - A Move to Douglas"
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550:An Account of the Isle of Man
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61:Location with the Isle of Man
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351:Home Department and Treasury
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392:became more prominent; the
347:Governor of the Isle of Man
227:Shenn-thie y Chiare as Feed
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815:Museums in the Isle of Man
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755:"Restoring the Old House"
445:. Tynwald. Archived from
412:National Westminster Bank
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757:. Manx National Heritage
735:. Manx National Heritage
713:. Manx National Heritage
666:. Manx National Heritage
644:. Manx National Heritage
622:. Manx National Heritage
567:. Manx National Heritage
528:. Manx National Heritage
493:. Manx National Heritage
471:. Manx National Heritage
694:Castletown, Isle of Man
322:Bishop of Sodor and Man
262:Bishop of Sodor and Man
187:Design and construction
791:54.073389°N 4.652083°W
696:: Castletown Heritage.
422:Manx National Heritage
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343:the 4th Duke of Atholl
274:Manx National Heritage
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138:Manx National Heritage
118:54.073389°N 4.652083°W
642:"The Keys In Douglas"
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796:54.073389; -4.652083
443:"Tynwald in History"
290:Kingdom of the Isles
145:Construction started
123:54.073389; -4.652083
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491:"The Medieval Keys"
469:"The First Tynwald"
394:Lieutenant Governor
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70:General information
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711:"The Modern Keys"
386:Isle of Man Times
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337:Construction
310:Lord of Mann
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266:Thomas Brine
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195:Thomas Brine
192:Architect(s)
156:January 1821
75:Town or city
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794: /
779:54°4′24.2″N
739:12 December
664:"Key Facts"
565:"Democracy"
375:Aerial view
360:£1039-10-0d
243:Isle of Man
235:lower house
164:£1039-10-0d
148:31 May 1819
121: /
106:54°4′24.2″N
96:Coordinates
89:Isle of Man
809:Categories
782:4°39′7.5″W
761:5 November
717:5 November
670:5 November
648:5 November
626:5 November
601:5 November
571:5 November
532:28 October
497:28 October
475:28 October
453:28 October
429:References
381:Rising Sun
280:Background
251:Castletown
109:4°39′7.5″W
79:Castletown
416:Town Hall
401:Later use
367:Operation
314:Deemsters
153:Completed
320:'s (the
140:(museum)
825:Tynwald
390:Douglas
332:History
286:Tynwald
270:Douglas
255:Douglas
239:Tynwald
200:Website
85:Country
345:, the
302:Argyll
241:, the
233:, the
169:Client
620:(PDF)
298:Islay
177:Owner
763:2011
741:2011
719:2011
672:2011
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455:2011
296:and
294:Mull
223:Manx
217:The
161:Cost
249:in
237:of
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
