30 July 2023 , 14:28
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Fifty years ago this week, new mum Tina Brennen clutched her baby daughter tight, looking on in horror as a hellish inferno raged at a major tourist attraction. The huge fire, likely sparked by a dropped cigarette, was ripping through the Summerland centre on the Isle of Man, with 3,000 people inside.
By the time the flames were extinguished 50 people, including 11 children, had lost their lives and a further 100 had been injured. It was the worst loss of life in a fire since the Second World War – and a safety scandal on the same scale as the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster. But today, despite calls for the site to be turned into a memorial to the victims, Summerland remains a neglected ruin.
It is now in the hands of the Isle of Man government, which aims to sell it to developers. And for Tina, haunted by what she witnessed aged 19, the lack of a memorial is a “deep injustice”. She said: “The silence we’ve had from the government here over the memorial reflects the lengths that they’re prepared to go in order to keep quiet about Summerland. It makes me angry and ashamed – it comes down to a deep injustice.”
The campaigning mum, who lives locally and has started a petition, is backed by survivors of the tragedy and those who lost loved ones. For them, the horrific memories of the night of August 2, 1973 will never fade. Summerland was meant to be the ultimate seaside attraction, a place where – thanks to climate control ensuring balmy conditions 365 days a year – summer never ended. Opened in May 1971, the £2million building owned by the Douglas Corporation could hold 10,000 visitors drawn to its facilities, including a dance hall, roller rink, sunbeds and a string of bars and restaurants. But just over two years later, it was to become a disaster scene on the scale of the Grenfell inferno in West London, in which 72 people died.
Heather Lea with her parents at wedding (STEVE ALLEN)
Jackie Hallam (Glen Minikin)A public inquiry held in 1973 and 1974 found a catalogue of shocking errors and a verdict of “death by misadventure” was recorded for those killed. As with Grenfell, the inquiry revealed safety issues in the building’s design, ranging from a lack of fire escapes to the use of softwood instead of concrete. It also cited the use of a highly flammable cladding material called Oroglas – when the fire raged, the cladding melted, dripping onto those fleeing below.
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No criminal charges have ever been brought and nobody has been held accountable, beyond three boys fined £3 each for having a cigarette in a kiosk – although some claimed an overheated fruit machine was the source of the blaze. Isle of Man Chief Minister Alfred Cannan last month refused calls from the House of Commons to reopen the inquiry. Instead, he issued an apology for “the pain and suffering felt by everyone affected”. Bereaved families and survivors believe his statement was yet another example of Summerland being swept under the carpet.
Heather now (STEVE ALLEN)They include Jackie Hallam, who lost mum Lorna and best friend Jane Tallon. Jackie, of Huddersfield, West Yorks, said: “No lessons were learned at all. Seeing Grenfell happen and to know that thousands of people still live in buildings covered in dangerous cladding – it’s really desperate.”
Jackie’s mum saved up all year to take her and her best pal Jane to the Isle of Man in August 1973. The trio visited Summerland that fateful day to escape the rain – a decision Jackie will regret for the rest of her life. Jackie, 63, said: “Mum was desperate to have a session on the sunbeds, so we agreed we’d meet up afterwards.
Janet and her mum Jean (Glen Minikin)“She disappeared up the escalator and that was the last time I saw her. The next thing I remember is a cloud of smoke and wanting to get away as quickly as possible.” When she returned to the site earlier this year, Jackie had a panic attack as memories and emotions flooded back. She said: “The closer I got to it, the more I churned up and when I was standing on the site I had to get away from it – I couldn’t stand there. People lost their lives there in terror and [the government] thinks it’s OK to leave it looking like a landfill site. It should be a peaceful place for quiet thought and remembrance. It’s totally disrespectful and dishonourable.”
Heather Lea, 69, whose parents Elizabeth and Richard and 13-year-old sister June died, agrees the site is a disgrace. She said: “It’s a complete ruin with just some fencing around it and it’s still scorched and blackened in places. I don’t know how the Isle of Man government can live with themselves.”
Jackie and Jane, who died (Glen Minikin)Heather was newly married to Reg, now 79, when she waved her parents and sister off on a trip to the island. The couple vividly remember watching the newsflash on TV. Heather said: “A phone number came up on the screen. We couldn’t get through so we called the B&B they were staying at. Before I said anything, the lady at the end of the phone shouted my sister’s name and said, ‘Where are you?’ and I knew they weren’t coming back.”
Reg added: “It’s a horrible memory and something that’ll never leave us.” The couple, from Merseyside, visited the Summerland site for the 40th anniversary of the tragedy. Heather said: “It was upsetting to see how they’d left it. The Isle of Man should not be keeping that site to make money on, it should be doing the right thing by the families. Fifty people lost their lives but how many more daughters, sons, brothers, sisters have been impacted by this? They deserve so much better.”
Daily Mirror report from 1974
Summerland opened in 1971 (Bridgeman Images)Janet Booth, 66 and from Huddersfield, was holidaying on the British Crown Dependency with her parents and brother when the fire started. They all managed to flee before the flames fully took hold but Janet is still tormented by what she saw.
She said: “It was a wall of fire. Once we were out, we could see the Oroglas tumbling down and I remember looking at the building and thinking people were dying inside. We were in a B&B on the seafront. All you could hear was siren after siren. You knew not everyone would make it out.”
(Bridgeman Images)Janet said of the site: “I think it should definitely be made into some kind of memorial. It’s such a shame it’s been left like that for 50 years.” Tina hopes to secure permission to build 17 standing stones on the site, each representing a family or group of friends or colleagues killed, plus a recording studio for visitors to share their memories – both good and bad – of Summerland.
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She added: “We need something to show the government is remorseful for what happened here. I’m determined that there will be a memorial on that site to the 50 people who were killed.” The Isle of Man government was contacted for comment.
A memorial to those who lost their lives was built to mark the 40th anniversary at a separate location in the town, but the site itself remains derelict.
To support the campaign, sign the petition here.