In 1974 artist David Swinton produced a map of Kerrowgarrow Farm in Greeba for its owners, Keith and Marion Teare, which is now being made available for the public to buy as a limited edition print.

It’s a stunning and fascinating piece of artwork, adorned with Celtic knots (the distinctive Manx ringchain) and with its title embossed in gold leaf.

Marked on the map are many sites of historic interest, such as the kist (prehistoric burial site), a keeil and the remains of tholtans which were once the homes of miners at Cornelly Mines. There was even a miners’ footbridge, formed from stone slabs over a ford, which they would have crossed on their way to work.

The map actually shows two farms: Kerrowgarrow West, which Keith’s father, Daniel, came to in 1939, and Kerrowgarrow East, which Keith and his wife Marion bought in 1963, shortly after they were married. In 1971, Keith and Marion took over Kerrowgarrow West and ran the two farms together.

Keith explained how the original map came to be produced: ’David and his wife became friends of ours when they came to live on the island and the farm caught his imagination.’

David’s art is well-known on the island. A noted exponent of Archbold Knox he also produced the carving of a peregrine falcon in the main banking hall of the Isle of Man Bank in Athol Street and the 1979 Millennium of Tynwald logo.

Keith recalled: ’David had the idea that if we had a map of the farm we could take a "snapshot" of it in terms of what we were doing in that year, 1974, so all the fields were coloured and marked on the map with how they were being cropped or grazed during the year. We were breeding South Devons at the time and there’s even a pen and ink drawing of our stock bull, Silverburn Challenge, in the top corner.’

Keith added: ’Farming has since changed beyond recognition. That’s what makes this map particularly interesting from an historical point of view.’

None of Keith’s three children, Dawn, Hazel and Danny, wished to take over the farm and it was sold in 1988.

Keith said: ’The farm is still very important to us as a family. My children regard the farm as the foundation of their mature lives and I wanted each of them to have a copy.’

He got in touch with David who now lives in Peterborough. The original map had been hanging by a sunny window and the ink had faded so it was sent to him to be restored. Now it is to be made more widely available as a limited edition print.

Keith said: ’We hope the original painting might be of interest to Manx National Heritage and we plan to create limited edition signed copies of the map so that anyone who feels an affinity with Kerrowgarrow will have an opportunity to own one.’

If you are interested in buying a copy of the Kerrowgarrow map you can get in touch with Keith by email at [email protected].