Crosby (Gaelic: Baile na Croise - cross-town) ( – Cross farm or cross roads, market place) ()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 (Gesamtwerk) 3-484-40133-8 (band 5) Druck und Einband: Das Weihert-Druck GmbH Darmstadt is a small village located west of Douglas in the parish of Marown in the Isle of Man.
Description The village of Crosby is situated in the centre of the parish of Marown on the primary A1 Douglas to Peel road 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
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 on major festivals. The village also has a Methodist chapel. Crosby Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was opened on 6 October 1833.
Marown Language Centre (), a foreign language teaching facility and training centre for teachers on the island, is located in Crosby, close to the old St Runius Church.
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. The station was demolished but the crossing keeper's cottage on the east side is now a shelter for walkers on the trail.
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.
Motor-Sport heritage The Crosby village section of the A1 Douglas to Peel road was part of the short Highland Course () from 1906TT 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 and the also the Four Inch Course used for car racing including the RAC Tourist Trophy car races held between 1906 and 1922.Isle of Man Car Races 1904–1953 page 30 by Neil Hanson (2015) Lily Publications
In 1911, the Four Inch Course was first used by the Auto-Cycling Union for the Isle of Man TT motorcycle races. 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 This included the Crosby cross-roads and Crosby village sectionsIsle 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..." and the course later became known as the () 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.The History of the Manx Grand Prix page 7, 8, 9 by Bill Snelling Amulree Publishing(1998) Manx Heritage Foundation
Gallery
References