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Onchan

Onchan occupies the land to the north of Douglas Bay. Although it appears to be a continuation of the town of Douglas, it is a separate local authority. When referring to it please remember that the letters "ch" in the middle of the name are pronounced like a "k" and not like the "ch" of cheese. The name derives from the Celtic Saint Conchan and until the 19th century it was often spelled in this way.

Onchan was formerly used to denote both the parish and the village of the same name and until recently there were two distinct local authorities. These are now merged together as the District of Onchan.

The original village of Onchan huddled around the parish church. It was known as Kiondroghad which is Manx Gaelic for "bridge end". In the hollow below the church the ground was marshy and a causeway of logs and wickerwork was constructed to cross this area. Although not actually a bridge, this crossing point gave the name of Kiondroghad.

In 1841 the village of Kiondroghad consisted of just 51 houses and had a population of 363. Being so close to Douglas, it was inevitable that the village would expand but over recent years it has grown out of all recognition. Although still referred to as a village, it is now, with around 9,172 (census 2006) inhabitants, second only to Douglas as the largest centre of population in the Island.

Although primarily a residential satellite of the capital, Douglas, it does have a character and heritage of its own. Commercially, it has a light engineering works which manufactures precision components for the aviation industry. Onchan is home to the "offshore" subsidiary of a long established British bank and to a company whose optical products are used in the exploration of space. It is also the headquarters of a company which designs and supplies specialised mooring systems used, amongst others, by the offshore oil and gas industries worldwide.

Government House is the residence of the Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Man and stands in extensive grounds, on the outskirts of Onchan village. (It is not open to the public). The parish church, where Captain Bligh of the "Bounty" was married and the older part of the village, centred on Church Road or The Butt as it is known locally, is worth a visit.

At Groudle, on the boundary to the north with the parish of Lonan, is a delightfully scenic glen. This was developed over a century ago as a tourist attraction and is now one of the many glens maintained as public amenities by the Forestry Department.

In this area:

• Bibaloe Glen
• Groudle Glen
• MollyQuirks
• Calvary Glen
• Port Jack Glen
• CurraghKiondroghad
• Onchan
• Onchan
• Conrhenny
• The Butt
• Onchan Church