Governor's Bridge (formerly known as Heywood's Bridge [1] or the Deemster's Bridge) [2] is a hairpin bend adjacent to a road junction on the primary A18 Mountain Road in the parish of Onchan in the Isle of Man, with a sudden drop in elevation leading to Governor's Dip, followed by a left-hand bend and finally a right exiting on to the main Glencrutchery Road.
Onchan is a village in the parish of Onchan on the Isle of Man. It is at the north end of Douglas Bay. Administratively a district, it has the second largest population of settlements on the island, after Douglas, with which it forms a conurbation.
The Isle of Man, sometimes referred to simply as Mann, is a self-governing British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. The head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, holds the title of Lord of Mann and is represented by a lieutenant governor. Defence is the responsibility of the United Kingdom.
The Governor's Bridge road junction and hairpin bend are part of the Snaefell Mountain Course used since 1920 for the Isle of Man TT and from 1923 for the Manx Grand Prix Races. This junction was part of the Clypse Course for the TT races between 1954 and 1959. It is also part of the Willaston Circuit used for cycle racing, classic car racing and used as part of a timed special stage for the Rally Isle of Man.
The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle sport event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world.
The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course every year for a two-week period, usually spanning the end of August and early September.
The Clypse Course describes a motor-cycle racing course used for the Isle of Man TT Races between 1954 and 1959.
For the 1920 Isle of Man TT Races, changes were made to the Mountain Course and competitors then turned left at Hillberry, continuing uphill at Cronk-ny-Mona following the primary A18 Mountain Road to Governor's Bridge, with a new start/finish line on Glencrutchery Road which lengthened the course to 37¾ miles.
The 1920 Isle of Man TT races was the first races to take place following the end of World War I. Official practice sessions started on 31 May with the races taking place on 15 and 17 June 1920.
Cronk-ny-Mona is situated between the 36 and 37 mile markers used for the Snaefell Mountain Course, being on the primary A18 Mountain Road at the road junction with the A21 Johnny Watterson('s) Lane and the tertiary C10 Scholag Road in the Isle of Man parish of Onchan.
This included the creation of a new link road at Governor's Bridge on the primary A2 Ramsey to Douglas Road between the road junction of the newly created A18 Bemahague road (from Governor's Bridge to Signpost Corner), the A2 Governor's Road/Glencrutchery Road and Victoria Road in Douglas. [3] The new A2 link road effectively redirected the main road traffic and created the Governor's Dip bends off the primary A2 road which was used as part of the Snaefell Mountain Course for motor-cycle racing. The new link road also created a small wooded glen on the site which is known for its distinctive horse-chestnut trees.
The genus Aesculus, with varieties called buckeye and horse chestnut, comprises 13–19 species of flowering plants in the soapberry and lychee family, Sapindaceae. They are trees and shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with six species native to North America and seven to thirteen species native to Eurasia. Also, several hybrids occur. Aesculus exhibits a classical Arcto-Tertiary distribution.
For the 1954 Isle of Man TT races, the approach to Governor's Bridge on the A18 Bemahague Road was widened with the removal of a grass bank to facilitate turning of the wider sidecar outfits in the re-introduced Sidecar TT on the Clypse Course.
The 1954 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the second race in the 1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season and proved highly controversial for TT Course and race changes. The 1954 Junior TT was the first race where the official race distance was reduced from 7 laps to 5 laps. The 1954 Senior TT Race was stopped at half distance due to the weather conditions on the Mountain Section of the course.
A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a combination, an outfit, a rig or a hack.
The Sidecar TT is a motorcycle-with-sidecar road race competition held over two legs which takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival, an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. Between 1954 and 1976 this race was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship.
During October 2007 the Isle of Man Department of Transport began road widening at Braddan Bridge, further around the Mountain Course exiting Douglas, additionally creating a roundabout. The Department of Transport also announced a proposal to build a new section of road for the Mountain Course with a link road from Signpost Corner to Governor's Bridge using the pre-existing A18 Bemahague Road. This road widening scheme occurred between February and April 2008, [4] with the removal of trees on the Bemahague Estate (which includes Government House, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man) and the creation of a small mini-roundabout. Further work by the Isle of Man Department of Transport in July and September 2008 included the installation of a storm drain and the completion of the mini-roundabout.
Braddan Bridge is a bridge over the river Dhoo on the Douglas to Peel road, from which a halt on the Isle of Man Railway's first line to Peel took its name.
Government House is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man. It is situated on Governor's Road in Onchan, Isle of Man. Government House is also used to provide accommodation for official guests to the Isle of Man, and is used extensively for official functions, such as receptions and dinners. The property has been the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor since 1863 and has been owned by Tynwald since 1903.
The Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man is the British sovereign's official personal representative in the Isle of Man. He has the power to grant royal assent and is styled "His Excellency".
The Isle of Man TT Races and Manx Grand Prix continue to use the original A18 Bemahague Road (designated as Old Bemahague Road which runs parallel to the new link road) and the Governor's Dip for motorcycle racing, avoiding the new road sections.
