Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Ñaño house with mausoleum skull in foreground.
Ñaño Casa Museo
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
The salt cairn.
The Lewis and Clark Salt Works
South entrance.
Reigate Tunnel
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The 2,653-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail spans the entire West Coast from Canada to Mexico.
Meet the Volunteers Who Keep Thru-Hikers Moving
10 days ago
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House building on the U.S.-Canadian border.
Could New Border Restrictions Literally Tear the Haskell Free Library Apart?
10 days ago
A woman peering into the cave of Sarah Bishop c. 1900.
The Curious History of New England’s Hermit Tourism
11 days ago
The Big Well
This Kansas Town Advertised the World’s Largest Well. It Wasn’t.
11 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom the Isle of Man St John's Manx Giant's Pillar

Manx Giant's Pillar

An unusual monument to a 19th-century circus star.

St John's, Isle of Man

Added By
BearGiraffe
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Manx Giant’s Pillar.   BearGiraffe (atlas obscura user)
Manx Giant’s Pillar.   BearGiraffe (atlas obscura user)
Manx Giant’s Pillar.   BearGiraffe / Atlas Obscura User
Manx Giant’s Pillar.   Andy Stephenson
Colonel Routh Goshen circa 1900.   unknown
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

It may look like this cottage gate is waving at you, but the fingers stretching skyward are more than a quirky decoration. It's an unusual, unexpected memorial to a large man and his larger-than-life legacy. 

Arthur Caley, better known as the "Manx Giant," was born in Sulby, Isle of Man, in 1824. He grew to a staggering seven feet, 11 inches tall (though some accounts suspect he was a bit shorter), and soon became a local celebrity because of his "giant" status.

Caley left the Isle of Man when he was in his 20s and became a regular feature in the salons of Paris before faking his death a year later. People were a bit suspicious, as Caley’s death occured not long after his manager had taken out a life insurance policy for him.

But as it turns out, his untimely disappearance may have been a bit more than insurance fraud. Caley shed his original identity and resurfaced as "Colonel Routh Goshen, the Arabian Giant" in P.T. Barnum’s Circus in New York. He had a successful career in the circus and eventually retired in New Jersey. The “Arabian Giant” didn’t admit the truth about his real identity until he was on his deathbed in 1889.

Caley left an unexpectedly small footprint on his native island for a man of such stature. But an odd reference to him remains at Rose Cottage on the outskirts of Sulby. There, standing next to the front gate, is a large concrete pillar topped with a life-sized cast of Caley’s right hand. When measured from the base of the pillar to the tip of the middle finger, the strange memorial’s height is the same as Caley’s.

Related Tags

Memorials Giant Hands

Know Before You Go

It's just after the crossroads heading east along the West Regaby Road, right at the roadside.

Community Contributors

Added By

BearGiraffe

Edited By

timmmcnulty, Kerry Wolfe

  • timmmcnulty
  • Kerry Wolfe

Published

June 11, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://manxscenes.com/2014/06/rose-cottage-regaby-and-the-hand-of-the-manx-giant-arthur-caley-2/
  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/isleofman/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8406000/8406711.stm
Manx Giant's Pillar
Rose Cottage
Regaby West Road
St John's, Isle of Man
United Kingdom
54.348172, -4.447888
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Passages Shipwreck

Isle of Man

miles away

Bellite Factory Ruins

Cornaa, Isle of Man

miles away

The Laxey Wheel

Laxey, Isle of Man

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Isle of Man

Isle of Man

United Kingdom

Places 15
Stories 2

Nearby Places

The Passages Shipwreck

Isle of Man

miles away

Bellite Factory Ruins

Cornaa, Isle of Man

miles away

The Laxey Wheel

Laxey, Isle of Man

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Isle of Man

Isle of Man

United Kingdom

Places 15
Stories 2

Related Places

  • Antwerp, Belgium

    Hand of Druon Antigoon

    The legendary giant's severed hand sits on Antwerp's popular shopping street.

  • Brabo Fountain.

    Antwerp, Belgium

    Brabo Fountain

    A man throwing a giant severed hand towers over Antwerp’s main square.

  • The Giant’s Hand.

    Gigante, Colombia

    La Mano del Gigante (The Giant’s Hand)

    The enormous appendage offers spectacular views of Colombia's Huila Department.

  • Kojomkul Memorial.

    Kojomkul, Kyrgyzstan

    Kojomkul Memorial

    An unusual monument to a gentle giant who became a Kyrgyz hero.

  • Boston, Massachusetts

    Dewey Square Pylon & Bent 38

    These structures serve as a memorial to one of Boston’s most ambitious and controversial urban redevelopment projects.

  • Taipei, Taiwan

    Xingfu Village Monument

    A century-old monument to commemorate a crowd-funded public cemetery.

  • Washington, D.C.

    Signers’ Memorial

    Engraved in stone on a little Island are the signatures of everyone who signed the Declaration of Independence.

  • Newtown, Connecticut

    The Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial

    A tribute to the students and teachers who lost their lives during the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.