- The Nunnery
The Nunnery is an estate outside Douglas on the
Isle of Man , named after a religious foundation on the site, at gbmapping|SC372754.The Priory of Douglas was a
Cistercian foundation, possibly dating from the 12th century and known to have been in existence by1313 when it was visited byRobert Bruce . It may have been dedicated to St Brigid (St Bridget's Chapel is the current name for one of the few remaining buildings) although a dedication to St Mary would have been more usual. Its Prioress was an important Baron in the island, holding her own courts. ThePriory was suppressed byHenry VIII in1540 and granted to Thomas Hungate.The buildings were acquired by Richard Calcot, Comptroller of the Isle of Man, who is said to have married the ex-Prioress. The family occupied a house on the site before selling it to the Taubmans in 1776. A new house was built for John Taubman in
1823 byJohn Pinch Junior, of Bath, in the "Strawberry Hill gothic" style. St Bridget's Chapel remained as a coachhouse and was restored in the 1880's.The house remained in the possession of the Tabuman/Goldie family:
George Taubman Goldie was born here in1846 .The estate became the
Isle of Man International Business School in 1999.Trivia
The estate has been the location for several films, including
Stiff Upper Lips ,Relative Values ,Cromophobia andStormbreaker . It was also owned for a number of years byRobert Sangster , the racehorse owner and ofVernons Pools .The Nunnery Estate comprised of a Mill House, that was renamed The Dolls House, which fell into private ownership in 1992. This was repurchased, to return to the Nunnery Estate prior to the Isle of Man Government converting the property into the Business Centre.
References
* David E. Easson, "Medieval Religious Houses (Scotland), with an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man" (1957).
* Ian B. Cowan, David E. Easson, "Medieval Religious Houses (Scotland)", 2nd ed. (1976). ISBN 0-582-12069-1.External links
* [http://www.ibs.ac.im/hire/location.asp Isle of Man Business School]
* [http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/parishes/monastic/nunnery.htm Manx notebook on The Nunnery, Douglas]
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