- Keppel Gate
Infobox TT course
Name = Keppel Gate
Caption =
Latitude = 54.215672
Longitude = -4.479386
OSgridref = SC383828
Parish =Onchan
Distance = 33.65
Precedes =33rd Milestone
Follows =Kate's Cottage Keppel Gate is a left-hand corner on the primary A18 Mountain Road in the parish of
Onchan in theIsle of Man . [1851 Kippal's Gate - "Place Names in the Isle of Man" by George Broderick page 126]Keppel Gate is situated between the
33rd Milestone and 34th Milestone road markers on theSnaefell Mountain Course . The word Keppel is from the Scandinavian for "Kappafjall" (The champion or hero's mountain). This is probably the Scandinavian name for the nearby Slieau Meayll or Slieau Ree mountains. [Manx Note Book] Keppel Gate was part of theHighland Course andFour Inch Course used for theGordon Bennett Trial and Tourist Trophy automobile car races between 1904 and 1911. Also, Keppel Gate is part of the Mountain Course used since 1911 for theIsle of Man TT andManx Grand Prix Races.The A18 Mountain Road was developed in the mid-19th century from a number of pre-existing roads and paths. This included the building of a number of sheep-gates including the
East Mountain Gate , the Beinn-y-Phott sheep-gate and Keppel Gate. The section of road from Keppel Gate to Park Llewelyn is a product of the Disaforesting Commission of 1860. ["Manx Milestones" by Stuart Slack pp58 The Manx Experience] Contemporary photographs of the Isle of Man TT races in the 1920s and 1930's show a sheep-gates at nearbyKate's Cottage and also at Keppel Gate. ["Motocourse History of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Races 1907-1989" by Nick Harris pp100 (1990)(1st Edition) Hazelton Publishing ISBN 0-905138-71-6] In the recent building of a TT Marshals' shelter at Keppel Gate, the original stone gatepost from Keppel Gate was incorporated into its design.The Keppel Gate section of A18 Mountain Road was subject to road re-surfacing work during the winter of 2006–2007 by the Isle of Man Department of Transport.
ources
External links
* [http://www.iomtt.com/CircuitGuide/BungalowBridgetoThirtyThirdMilestone.asp Bungalow Bridge to 33rd Milestone] with
Steve Hislop , 11 times TT winner
* [http://www.iommgp.com/tour/map.shtml Map of course]
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