Social, Scientific and Industrial Heritage

'Oilean Dairbhre' (Island of the Oaks), was a haven to seafarers on a wild rugged coast marked on the earliest maps of Europe. Geographically Valentia is important for Europe's weather recording and the first telegraph weather report was sent from Valentia to London in 1862. And in 1867, Valentia Observatory was set up to record and pass on vital meteorological and geodetic data. Valentia’s westerly location also made it suitable for the Altazamuth, which marks the 52nd parallel line of longitude and was established in 1862. (the Great European Arc of Longitude)

The noted naturalist Maude Jane Delap lived and worked in Knightstown, carrying out important research into the marine life surrounding Valentia and identifying many new species. On display in this room are examples of flora and fauna to be found on Valentia and its environs, as well as information on the abundant sea life that surrounds Valentia.

When life was evolving from water onto land, a salamander-like creature left his (or her?) footprints in the sand on an ancient Valentia beach. In 1992, some 385 million years later, these fossilised prints were discovered by a visiting geology student, Mr. Iwan Stoessel.

A cast of the footprints, and other information on this important paleontological find, may be seen in this room. Iwan Stoessel notes: "Trackways of Devonian tetrapods are very rare, but provide valuable insights into the earliest phase of the conquest of the land by vertebrates."

From 1825, Valentia slate slabs were shipped to England for the construction of many public buildings - including the House of Commons and the National Gallery.

The sea has played a profound role in the lives of Islanders for the earliest times. Fishing and angling are still important local industries. Over the years they have manned the Lighthouses and the Lifeboats, dealt with Pirates and Traders, Manxmen and Spaniards, Cromwellian soldiers and pioneering aviators