Castletown
History
Castletown is the former capital of the Isle of Man and site of Tynwald and can trace it's roots back to 1090. The town has narrow streets and small fishing cottages. Fishing boats still continue to go out to fish from the harbour. Commercial traffic to the port ended in the 1970s, although there has been an ongoing expansion of finance and industrial businesses in the area.The last person to be hung on the Isle of Man was John Kewish in Castletown at Castle Rushen on 1 August, 1872. In 1874 the House of Keys moved from Castletown to Douglas. The first telephones appeared in Castletown in 1901.
Geography
The town sits on the north-western side of Castletown Bay. The opposite shore of the bay is made up of the west coast of the Langness Peninsula. To the north is Ballasalla, to the north-west the village of Ballabeg and to the west Port St. Mary and Port Erin. The A3 road connects Castletown with Ramsey and the A5 road (also known as New Castletown Road) connects the town with Douglas to the north and Port Erin to the south. The A25 road (also known as Old Castletown Road) was the historical route to Douglas which is now bypassed by the A5.Demographics
The Isle of Man census 2006 lists the parish population as 3,109, a slight increase from the population of 3,100 in 2001. It is the fourth largest town on the island.Transport
Castletown railway station is on the Isle of Man Railway (IMR), a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin. It is located at the northeastern edge of the town next to Poulsom park. The Isle of Man Airport, the main civilian airport on the island, is to the north-east of the town.Politics
Castletown is along with Douglas, Peel and Ramsey, one of four town local authorities. They were all designated as towns by the Town Act 1852. Castletown became a local authority in 1883.It is also a House of Keys constituency, electing one Member of the House of Keys (MHK). The current MHK is Tony Brown who was elected in the Manx general election, 2006 and who is also the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man.
Education
King William's College an independent school. Founded in 1668 with funds from the Bishop Barrow Trust, it opened in 1833 with 46 boys and is now a co-educationsl school with about 500 pupils. The college is situated in two sites in the town. The main estate is on the shore of Castletown bay and The Buchan School which is the College's junior school, located in the Westhill part of Castletown, about two miles from the main campus.Castle Rushen High School is a co-educational secondary state school and there is also one [[primary school], Victoria Road School which was originally opened as a boy's scholl in 1895, with a girl's school in Hope Street. The two were later combined.
Religion
There are three churches in the town. Castletown Methodist Church on Arbory Street, founded in 1932, is part of the Castletown Circuit, one of three circuits in the Isle of Man District which in turn is part of the British Methodist Connexion. St Mary’s on the Harbour on Hope Street is the Church of England Church for the Parish of Castletown in the Diocese of Sodor and Man. The church building was consecrated as a church in 1985 when the congregation moved from the Garrison Church in Castletown Square. St Mary's Roman Catholic Church on Bowling Green Road, built in the 1820s, it was the first post-reformation Catholic Church to be built on the island.Sport
Castletown Metropolitan F.C. who play in the Isle of Man Football League are based at the Castletown Football Stadium, Malew Road. They are one of the most successful clubs on the island, having been League champions eight times and won the Manx FA Cup seven times. There are two Rugby union football clubs in the town, Castletown RUFC who are based at Poulsom Park and Southern Nomads RUFC who are based at King Williams College. They both play in the Manx Shield.Castletown cricket club are based at King Williams College and are members of the Isle of Man Cricket Association. Castletown Golf & Country Club is located on the Langness Peninsula, Derbyhaven. The Billown Circuit motor cycling course has it's start line in the town. Castletown Bowling Club is located at The Crofts. Next to the bowling green is Castletown Lawn Tennis Club. Southern Swimming Pool is a 25 metre, five lane Short course pool. Castletown Harbour is the venue for the annual World Tinbath Championship.
2011 Commonwealth Youth Games
The closing ceremony of the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games is due to be held in Castletown on on 12 September, 2011.Landmarks
Notable buildings in the town include
- Castle Rushen is a medieval castle which towers over the Market Square to the south-east and the harbour to the north-east. HMS Rushen Castle (K372), a former Castle-class corvette of the Royal Navy was named after the castle.
- The Old House of Keys was the location of Tynwald, the Manx parliament, until it moved in 1874 to Douglas. The house was renovated in 2000 and is run as a museum by Manx National Heritage. Tynwald used to meet in Castletown except on Tynwald Day, when it traditionally met (and still meets) on Tynwald Hill in St. John's.
- The Old Grammar School was originally built as a chapel about 1190 - 1230 and is located in the harbour. The building stopped being a school in the 1930s and is now a museum.
- The Nautical museum (also known as Peggy) is a branch of the Manx National Heritage and was opened in June, 1951. The main focus of the museum is an 18th century yacht, the Peggy housed in the boat cellar, where she has been since the mid 19th century and had been bricked up and forgotten before being rediscovered by workmen. Dan Quayle, former Vice President of the United States is also of a Manx Quayle family.
Much of the attraction of Castletown is due to the quality of its period buildings, many constructed of the local silver-grey limestone. The layout of the town centre still retains its early arrangement, echoing the cluster of houses around the military parade ground, which still has its alternative use as market place. The interested visitor can still identify the original building plots, and the crofts attached to them, which have given their name to a residential area close to the town centre.
At the south-western tip of Castletown Bay is the Scarlett Point visitor centre. The Millennium Way long distance footpath, opened in 1979, begins at Castle Rushen, heading north towards Ramsey. The Raad ny Foillan long distance coastal footpath opened in 1986 runs along the coast in the town.
Notable people
- John Christian JP, born in Castletown in 1776 was a First Deemster of the Isle of Man.
- Sir Joseph Davidson Qualtrough was born in Castletown in 1885. He was Speaker of the House of Keys from 1937 to 1960.
- John Ready was a British army officer, who served as Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man from 1832 to 1845. He died in Castletown and was buried on the island with full military honours.
MHKs and elections
| Year | Election | Turnout | Candidates | Elected | Notes |
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| 1903 | General Election | ? |
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| 1919 | By Election | ? |
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| 1919 | General Election | Unopposed |
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| 1924 | General Election | Unopposed |
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| 1929 | General Election | Unopposed |
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| 1934 | General Election | Unopposed |
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| 1946 | General Election | ? |
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| 1951 | General Election | ? |
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| 1956 | General Election | ? | |||
| 1960 | By Election | ? |
| Death of Sir Joseph David Qualtrough CBE | |
| 1971 | General Election | ? |
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| 1981 | General Election | ? | ? | ||
| 1986 | General Election | 67.4% |
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| 1991 | General Election | Elected Unopposed |
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| 1996 | General Election | 67.2% |
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| 2001 | General Election | Elected Unopposed |
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| 2006 | General Election |
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References
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Wednesday October 01, 2008 at 11:28:57 PDT (GMT -0700)
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