PEEL resident Greg Joughin’s bid to keep the remaining small number of hand-made granite kerbstones in the town is looking hopeful.
Mr Joughin wrote to Peel Town Commissioners asking them to lend its support in keeping the historical kerb edging.
At the commissioners’ meeting earlier this month members expressed their desire to keep the kerbstones.
Mr Joughin also raised the matter with government conservation officer Steven Moore and the Peel Heritage Trust.
He said: ‘Circa 1880-1900 all the streets of Peel were edged with Foxdale granite kerbstones. Over the years most have been removed, presumed destroyed and/or buried. There are a few sections left dotted round the town. The longest run is from Market Garage Spar along Atholl Street for about 60 yards around the corner outside the Whitehouse pub and up Douglas Road for a further 40 yards – approximately 100 yards in total. This lies within the Peel conservation zone.’
On Wednesday, the original Foxdale granite kerbstones were due to be removed as part of the refurbishment of the pavements in Atholl Street, Peel, but Mr Joughin was called to an ‘eleventh hour’ meeting in Atholl Street with the Department of Infrastructure (DoI), Peel MHK Tim Crookall and chairman of Peel Town Commissioners Eric Beale to look at the kerbstones.
‘I am very pleased to say that the DoI boss seemed understanding of the situation and is broadly in favour of keeping most of the original kerbs.
‘Indeed he did not really know of their existence until they were pointed out to him. He noted their quantity and quality,’ said Mr Joughin.
The original kerbstones are slightly rounded at the edges, partly due to affect of time and wear. Although they were rounded from new as not to damage cart wheels. This ‘rounding’ may create a problem as the new paviours may not sit tight against the kerbs.
But investigations as to how best to tackle the situation have been taking place.
The DoI had been looking to replace the hand-made granite kerbstones with Chinese kerb edging at a cost of £300 per piece, whereas the hand-made kerbstones are worth much more.