Onchan, Isle of Man
Onchan
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 Onchan
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| Onchan shown within the Isle of Man | |
| Population | 9,172 (2006 census) |
| OS grid reference | SC407780 |
| Parish | Onchan |
| Sheading | Garff |
| Crown dependency | Isle of Man |
| Post town | Isle of Man |
| Postcode district | IM3 |
| Dialling code | 01624 |
| Police | Isle of Man |
| Fire | Isle of Man |
| Ambulance | Isle of Man |
| House of Keys | Garff |
Onchan /ˈɔːŋkən/ is a village in the parish of Onchan on the Isle of Man. It is at the north end of Douglas Bay. Although administratively a village, it has the second largest population on the island, after Douglas, with which it forms a conurbation.
In Manx the name for the village is Kione Droghad meaning "bridge end".
In the 1890s a 5,000-year-old stone age axe was found in the Cassa Field by Onchan wetlands. In the Viking reign Onchan became part of Middle sheading. The name of the village is identified with St Connachan who was Bishop of Sodor and Man in 540 and the church named after him, Kirk Coonachan. An early name for the village is Manx: Kiondroghad which literally translated means "bridgehead". The earliest written record of Kiondroghad was in the 1643 Manorial Roll, when it was very small. The name Kiondroghad appeared on the 1841 census but not the subsequent one a decade later.
The village of Kiondroghad remained little changed for a couple of centuries apart from the old cottages being replaced by newer ones if they fell into disrepair. Gradually the village moved out of Church Road, known locally as The Butt, and spread a little. At the junction with the track that led towards the mountains (Avondale Road) a few more cottages appeared in the early 19th century. As Onchan approached the 20th century land was sold off for terraces of houses to be built. The area surrounding Church Road today is the village's heritage area and the location of Molly Carooin's Cottage which is maintained by the Friends Of Onchan's Heritage, a local volunteer group. The area features period lamp standards and since 2001 has been home to the newly developed Village Green which links Church Road with the Onchan Wetlands to the north west. There is also a vehicle garage, highways department depot, barber shop and several residential dwellings in the area which leads to St Peter's Church via the one-way road. The Jubilee Lamp was erected in this road in 1987 following relocation from White City, and this was the first electrically lit lamp standard on the island.
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