Discover the hidden world beneath the Island’s landscape and one man’s lifelong fascination with the passages and forgotten mine workings of Laxey & Lonan.
A fascinating new exhibition in the Cabinet of Curiosities at the Manx Museum, inviting visitors to discover the hidden world beneath the Island’s landscape. The exhibition explores one man’s lifelong fascination and self-confessed “obsession” with the subterranean passages and forgotten mine workings of Laxey and Lonan.
Major Shane Lucas, a former British Army officer and passionate caving enthusiast, has spent decades exploring the Island’s historic mines. Following his military career, he worked for Isle of Man Government surveying the Great Laxey Mine, gaining rare first-hand knowledge of the complex network of tunnels that once powered the Island’s industrial prosperity.
Through meticulous research, Major Lucas has also uncovered many of the human stories behind the industry including of men, women and children whose hard, often dangerous work shaped the communities of the Laxey valley in the Victorian era and beyond.
Now retired, Major Shane Lucas channels his extraordinary experiences underground into art. His striking two-dimensional and three-dimensional works capture the atmosphere, mystery and physical intensity of life beneath the surface, offering a perspective that few others can share.
Visitors are invited to discover a powerful and personal perspective on the Island’s industrial heritage, brought to life by someone who has explored deep within the historic Great Laxey Mines and experienced this hidden world first-hand.