The Laxey Wheel is the largest working waterwheel in the world — 72 feet 6 inches acros…

The Laxey Wheel is the largest working waterwheel in the world — 72 feet 6 inches across, sitting in a valley on the Isle of Man. It was built in 1854 to solve a simple problem: the lead and zinc mines kept flooding, and the island had no coal to power a steam engine. Local self-taught engineer Robert Casement designed a system that diverted rainwater from the hillside into a cistern, fed it down a tower onto 168 buckets around the wheel’s rim, and used the turning motion to drive pumps that drained water from 1,500 feet underground. It was named Lady Isabella after the governor’s wife. The mine employed over 600 people at its peak, producing lead, zinc, copper and silver. The waste rock was eventually used to build RAF runways during World War II. The mine closed in 1929 but the wheel had already become a tourist attraction long before that. The front of the structure carries the Isle of Man’s triskelion — the three armoured legs — and the whole thing was clearly designed to be admired, not just functional.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​