Douglas promenade, from Victorian times to the years before the second World War, was a very different place to what it is now.

Thousands of tourists thronged the Promenade, and some of the finest music halls and venues in the British Isles graced the sea front, regularly attracting the biggest stars of the stage to the island.

Around them sprung up a huge, thriving industry of weird, wonderful and inventive entertainment complexes, which kept the tourists and locals alike enthralled throughout the summer months.

Sadly, even though some of these buildings and venues closed down relatively recently, such as the Derby Castle, which made way for the Summerland site in the late 1960s and White City and the grand Palace ballroom, both demolished in the late 1980s, little remain of the artefacts housed within them.

However, some of the posters, pictures, rides and other memorabilia for the island’s tourist heyday have gone on display at the Manx Museum.

’That’s Entertainment’ documents the growth of the island’s vast entertainment scene, from tantalising glimpses of shows from the very early 19th century through to the island’s status as a hotbed of the UK’s music industry at the turn of the 20th century, and features costumes, figurines and fairground rides that remain from a time before television, radio and ultimately the internet changed the way we seek entertainment for ever.

The exhibition has been put together by curator Nicola Tooms, who said that putting it together brought back her own memories of childhood, and that there would be many people on the island who would still recognise some of the exhibits.

’Putting the exhibition together has been so much fun and has brought back many of my own personal memories including visiting White City as a young child,’ said Nicola.

’The objects in the exhibition have already been a great talking point from the penny slot machines to the jolly policeman from the White City Go Carts and the vampire, from the ghost train.

’Colleagues and visitors have already been swapping fond memories of concerts at the Palace, the choice of cinemas and performers such as Karma, Ronricco and Salamander.’

A wall of renovated, working Victorian slot machines are included, and are available for people to play, using large, old pennies, available from the museum reception desk.

’It is really hard to imagine how busy Douglas was a hundred years ago. It was chock-a-block with people, and what we really wanted to do is to get that sense of business and madness.

’We have a video with footage of holiday makers and some of the big stars of the day, and they really do show what an incredibly lively place the island was.

’Stars of the turn of the century, like Vesta Tilley and Florrie Ford would regularly sing here, and draw hundreds of people at a time.’

A wall of photographs, along with one of Florrie’s famous glamorous gowns and hats are one of the centre piece attractions.

One of the oldest exhibits is a poster dating from 1809, advertising the mysterious Madame Gerardelli.

’We have a poster here of a woman called Madame Gerardelli, who was known as the amazing fireproof lady,’ said Nicola.

’She had this act, which she would bring over to the island for the entire summer, in 1809, and performed at the old George Inn in Castletown.

Her act would be swallowing acid, and standing on fire, and just sounds utterly bonkers.

’Then we have the costumes and utensils that belonged to the Great Salamander, who was a local man called Percy Cowley.

’He would often perform in Douglas, during the 1970s. He would lay on a bed of nails, and people would stand on his chest. He’d swallow swords and eat fire, things like that.

’We have his box of tricks here that still contains tubes of savlon and throat lozenges.’

That’s Entertainment is open to view at the Manx Museum until the end of April, 2019.