 The Grove
This is not just a story about the house, but more a memorial to the family
who breathed life into it and made it a place of nostalgia for generations
to come. In 1840 the property was little more than a holiday cottage
for Duncan Gibb and his family from Liverpool, but two decades later
it became their permanent home, Duncan being forced to retire to this
smaller property on the Isle of Man as a result of his diminishing wealth.
Born in Scotland, Duncan Gibb
was lured to Liverpool as a young man eager to make his fortune. By
1830 he was a successful shipping merchant, and a well respected figure
among his Tory colleagues. Now 38 years old, financially secure, and
of good civic standing, Duncan decided it was time to marry. Janet Blake,
aged 21, was also from an eminent shipping family and the union was blessed.
Four years later Duncan built a new ship named 'Blake'
in honour of his acceptance into Janet's family. They lived in a mansion
in the suburbs of Liverpool, and had seven children in all, although
two boys did not survive. Following his purchase of the cottage on the
outskirts of Ramsay, Duncan Gibb secured several acres of farmland and,
at the same time the house was being extended to accommodate his growing
family. In 1867, just five years after he retired to The Grove, Duncan
died leaving his home inhabited by his widow, three daughters, sister-in-law,
and his only son, Duncan.
Duncan died aged only 48,
leaving a wife, two daughters and a son. It was his daughters, Janet
and Alice, that came to live at The Grove with their grandmother, and
stayed there for the rest of their lives. Some years after Janet Blake's
death, her grandaughters were summoned by their Auntie Janet Douglas
and asked to agree to a bizarre condition. They were asked to promise
not to leave The Grove, or get married in order that they could continue
to look after the house, the garden, and the pony.
The sisters seemed
to manage well enough, enjoying a full and active social life until
the outbreak of the First World War. From then on their finances became
stretched, but with an unending resourcefulness, and a strong commitment
to their family home, they somehow managed to survive. It is because
of these financially restrained circumstances that the house remained
virtually unchanged for a century, and it epitomises the Victorian way
of life for ladies of their means. Alice died in 1971, aged 90, and
was followed by her sister Janet three years later who died shortly
after her 96th Birthday.
The Grove and most of its contents came to the Manx nation to represent an
important way of life created by one family until its natural end. As
property goes, the house is not necessarily regarded as one of architectural
importance, and it is certainly not grand. But the atmosphere within,
created by all the personal knick-knacks and mementoes that formed part
of the Gibbs' lives, make this an unusual legacy of Victoriana. Outbuildings,
farm implements, and the familiar sight of domestic fowl wandering around
their territory are all part of the famous story of The Gibbs of the Grove,
and make a visit to The Grove Rural Life Museum a unique experience. |
