Crosby, Isle of Man

Crosby (Old Norse: Kross-bør – Cross farm or cross roads, market place) (locally /ˈkrɑːizb/)[1] is a small village located 3.7 mi (6.0 km) west of Douglas in the parish of Marown in the Isle of Man.

Crosby
  • Manx: Balley ny Croshey
Crosby
Location within the Isle of Man
Population900 
OS grid referenceSC325794
 Douglas6 km
ParishMarown
SheadingMiddle
Crown dependencyIsle of Man
Post townISLE OF MAN
Postcode districtIM4
Dialling code01624
PoliceIsle of Man
FireIsle of Man
AmbulanceIsle of Man
House of KeysMiddle

Description

The village of Crosby is situated in the center of the parish of Marown on the primary A1 Douglas to Peel at the cross-road junction with the A23 Mount Rule Road and the B35 Garth Road.

It has a population of about 900. The River Dhoo flows to the south of Crosby village through the main Douglas to Peel Central valley.

Village

Marown Old Church – St Runius

The old St Runius church, which was the original Marown parish church until the new church was built in 1859, is located in Crosby. Part of the old church dates back to the 12th century. It was expanded in 1754. When the new church was built, the original church was used as a mortuary chapel and part of the east side was demolished. The building was eventually restored and re-opened on 9 August 1959, with services now held regularly each summer and or major festivals.[2][3] The village also has a Methodist chapel. Crosby Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was opened on 6 October 1833.[4]

Marown Language Centre (Manx: Yn Ynnyd Çhengey), a foreign language teaching facility and training centre for teachers on the island is located in Crosby, close to the old St Runius Church.[5]

The village's historic railway station opened on 1 July 1873 and last operated on 7 September 1968 when the line closed. It was on the Douglas to Peel line of the Isle of Man Railway which now forms the Heritage Trail, following the course of the old line.[6] The station was demolished but the crossing keeper's cottage on the east side is now a shelter for walkers on the trail.[7]

Local amenities in Crosby include a children's play park, football and cricket pitch, chapel and pub, which is also a popular spectator spot for watching the Isle of Man TT.

Sport

Marown F.C. is a football club which competes in the Isle of Man Football League playing home games at the Memorial Playing Fields in Crosby. The village also has the Crosby Cricket Club which shares the same site. Founded in 1946, the club is part of the Isle of Man Cricket Association.[8]

Motor-Sport heritage

The Crosby village section of the A1 Douglas to Peel road was part of the short Highland Course (40.38 miles) from 1906[9] and the also the 37.50 Mile Four Inch Course used for car racing including the RAC Tourist Trophy car races held between 1906 and 1922.[10]

In 1911, the Four Inch Course was first used by the Auto-Cycling Union for the Isle of Man TT motorcycle races. [11] This included the Crosby cross-roads and Crosby village sections[12] and the course later became known as the 37.73 mile Isle of Man TT Mountain Course which has been used since 1911 for the Isle of Man TT Races and from 1923 for the Manx Grand Prix races.[13]

References

  1. Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Vol.5. Sheading of Middle (Kirk Braddan, Kirk Marown, and Kirk Santan). page 190 & 191 Kirk Marown by George Broderick (2000) Manx Place- Name Survey, © Max Niemeyer Verlag GmbH & Co. KG Türbingen 2000 ISBN 3-484-40138-9 (Gesamtwerk) 3-484-40133-8 (band 5) Druck und Einband: Das Weihert-Druck GmbH Darmstadt
  2. "Marown parish". isle-of-man.com. 2000. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  3. "St Runius Church". Isle of Man Guide. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  4. "Crosby Wesleyan Methodist Chapel 1833". isle-of-man.com. 2001. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  5. "Isle of Man Primary Modern Languages Service". Isle of Man Schools. Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  6. "Heritage Trail". Isle of Man Guide. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  7. "Station name: Crosby". Subterranea Britannica. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  8. "A Brief History of the Club". Crosby Cricket Club. Archived from the original on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  9. TT Pioneers – Early Car Racing in the Isle of Man page 22 Robert Kelly, Mercury Asset Management (1996)(1st Edition) The Manx Experience, The Alden Press ISBN No 1 873120 61 3
  10. Isle of Man Car Races 1904–1953 page 30 by Neil Hanson (2015) Lily Publications ISBN 978-1-907945-36-6
  11. The Manx Experience. A Souvenir Guide to the Isle of Man. pages 66–67 Gordon N. Kniverton 8th edition The Manx Experience (1987) Mannin Publishing Ltd
  12. Isle of Man Examiner – Brialtagh Ellan Vannin page 34 Final Whistle Tuesday 28 May 2019 Isle of Man Newspapers Ltd (2019) Tindle Newspaper Group – Newsprint (Knowlsey) Ltd   "Robert Dunlop splashes through Crosby Village..."
  13. The History of the Manx Grand Prix page 7, 8, 9 by Bill Snelling Amulree Publishing(1998) Manx Heritage Foundation ISBN 1 901508 04 8
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.