St Ninian's Crossroads (, Quayle, or MacFayle's farm - the quarterland of Ballaquayle) is situated between the
TT Grandstand and the 1st Milestone road-side marker on the
Snaefell Mountain Course
The Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' or ''Snaefell Mountain Course'' or ''Elmo’s Mountain Course'' is a street and Road racing, public rural road circuit located in the Isle of Man, used for motorcycle racing. The motorcycle ''T ...
on the primary
A2 Douglas to
Ramsey road in the town of
Douglas in the
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
.
The St. Ninian's Crossroads is a major road junction of the A2 Glencrutchery Road with the A2
Bray Hill, the A22 Ballanard Road and Ballaquayle Road in Douglas. The area is dominated by St. Ninian's Church (dedicated to
Ninian of Whithorn) designed by W.D.Caroe and is a major landmark on the skyline of the town of Douglas. The land to build the church in 1913 was bequeathed by Henry Bloom Noble through trustees of his estate. In 1924, the Douglas High School for Boys was constructed on a nearby site by the Isle of Man Education Board and is now the coeducational
St Ninian's High School (''Schoill Ard Noo Ninian'').
The crossroads at St. Ninian's was part of the
Highland Course and
Four Inch Course
The Four Inch Course was a road racing, road-racing circuit first used for the 1908 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (automobiles), 1908 Tourist Trophy Race for cars, held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the I ...
used for the Gordon Bennett Trial and
Tourist Trophy car races held between 1904 and 1922. The St. Ninian's Crossroads road is part of the Snaefell Mountain Course used since 1911 for the
Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May and June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event begins on the UK Spring Bank Holiday at the e ...
races and the
Manx Grand Prix
The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course (or ' Mountain Circuit') annually, usually at the end of August and early September. Traditionally the event has been staged over a two week period but this was reduce ...
since 1923.
During the
1914
This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...
Junior TT race,
Frank Walker's view of the A23 Ballanard Road was obscured by spectators who had encroached onto the road to watch the competitors. Passing the Judges-Box at the finish-line, Walker continued at full racing speed through St. Ninians Crossroads, collided with a wooden barrier in Ballaquayle Road, was thrown from his motorcycle and later died of his injuries at nearby Nobles Hospital.
The St Ninian's Crossroads as ''Parkfield Corner'' was part of the
Clypse Course used between 1954 and 1959 for the Isle of Man TT and for the Manx Classic Races as part of the
Willaston Circuit between 1988 and 2000.
In 1971 the first permanent site of
traffic light
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...
signals in the Isle of Man were installed at St.Ninian's crossroads.
[''Isle of Man Examiner'' page 5 dated 29 July 1971] Part of the road junction with Ballaquayle Road and St Ninian's church was widened and re-profiled in 2007 by the Isle of Man Department of Transport.
Sources
External links
{{coord, 54, 09, 54, N, 4, 29, 01, W, display=title, region:IM_type:landmark
St Ninian's Crossroads