Onchan ( ; gv, Connaghyn), historically Kirk Conchan, is one of the seventeen historic

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

es of the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. It is located on the east of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) in the sheading of Middle, though before 1796 it was in the sheading of Garff. Administratively, part of the historic parish of Onchan is now covered by part of the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

of Douglas, the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man.

Local government

For the purposes of

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

, most of the historic parish forms a single

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

with Commissioners. In 1896, an area in the south-west of the historic parish of Onchan became part of the borough of Douglas, since when it has been governed by a

municipal corporation A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally ...

with 18 councillors and an elected

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The district of Onchan was formed in 1986 by the re-amalgamation of two local authority areas, Onchan village and the larger rural area of Onchan parish. These two local authority areas had been separated from one another in 1895. The

Captain of the Parish The Captain of the Parish is an official in each parish in the Isle of Man—formerly the title was ''Captain of the Parish Militia'', but it is now only a titular honour. Historically the Captain of the Parish was authorised to raise his own mi ...

(since 2011) is Peter Kelly, MBE.

Politics

Onchan parish is split between two House of Keys constituencies: Onchan, covering the built-up area of Onchan village, and the Garff constituency, which includes the larger rural area of Onchan parish. Each constituency elects two Members to the House of Keys. From 1986 until 2016 the whole of Onchan was its own constituency, and before 1986 it was in the Middle constituency. The part of the historic parish which falls under the Borough of Douglas elects MHKs to one or more of the Douglas constituencies.

Geography

The village of Onchan (formerly known as Kirk Conchan, as it was dedicated to St Conchan) is situated on a headland to the north of Douglas, of which it is a suburb, and has good views over Douglas Bay. The parish stretches from Windy Corner on the TT course in the north to Port Groudle and the town of Douglas in the south; it is bounded to the west by the River Glass and the East Baldwin Valley, to the east by the parish of Lonan and to the south by the Irish Sea. The main settlement in the parish is the village of Onchan which has the second largest population on the island. The coastline comprises the northern part of Douglas Bay and the Banks' Howe headland, which is high. The highest peak in the parish is Cairn Gerjoil, near Windy Corner, at . The parish is largely agricultural and has only one centre of population, Onchan village. Apart from the hilly region in the north west, it is a fertile and well-cultivated district. Along the hillside near Douglas there are country villas. The parish also has several large reservoirs that store water for Douglas and the surrounding villages. The parish has three National Glens: Molly Quirk's Glen, Groudle Glen and Bibaloe Walk, which end at Groudle Beach, where there is holiday accommodation. The Groudle Glen Railway runs for a short distance along the coast from Lhen Coan to the Headland and then on to the terminus at Sea Lion Rocks, where passengers can alight and see the remains of the Victorian zoo which until

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

housed

sea lion Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

s and polar bears. Like the other parishes on the island, Onchan was historically subdivided into "treens": areas of land bounded by natural features such as rivers. According to the 1511 Manorial Roll, Onchan contained the following treens: *Slekby *Alia-Begod *Begod (now Bygoad) *Byballo (now Bibaloe) *Hawstrake (now Howstrake) *Horaldre *Tremsare *Tremott *Douglas

Onchan wetlands

The Onchan wetlands ( gv, Curragh Kiondroghad) is a reserve in Onchan village which contains a variety of habitats. The site was donated to the

Manx Wildlife Trust Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) was founded on 6 March 1973 and is the Isle of Man’s leading nature conservation charity. Nature Reserves The Manx Wildlife Trust (as of September 2022) manages 26 nature reserves, along with the Calf of Man (on behalf ...

in 1988. It is open to the public for viewing and has a boardwalk which is suitable for wheelchair users. The site contains ''curragh'' (wetlands - willow scrub), broadleaved trees, ''dub'' (pond), neutral grassland and embankments of tall grassland. This variety of habitats leads to a diversity of wildlife and plant life. Some of the plants/trees that grow there are

silver birch ''Betula pendula'', commonly known as silver birch, warty birch, European white birch, or East Asian white birch, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe and parts of Asia, though in southern Europe, it is only found ...

, ash, holly, rowan,

marsh marigold ''Caltha palustris'', known as marsh-marigold and kingcup, is a small to medium size perennial herbaceous plant of the buttercup family, native to marshes, fens, ditches and wet woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It flower ...

, yellow flag, reed canary grass, hemlock water-dropwort,

woody nightshade ''Solanum dulcamara'' is a species of vine in the genus ''Solanum'' (which also includes the potato and the tomato) of the family Solanaceae. Common names include bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, bitter nightshade, blue bindweed, Amara Dulci ...

and

cuckoo flower ''Cardamine pratensis'', the cuckoo flower, lady's smock, mayflower, or milkmaids, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is a perennial herb native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia. The specific name ''pratensis'' is Latin ...

. Among the wide variety of birds on the site are the

grey wagtail The grey wagtail (''Motacilla cinerea'') is a member of the wagtail family, Motacillidae, measuring around 18–19 cm overall length. The species looks somewhat similar to the yellow wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted to ...

goldcrest The goldcrest (''Regulus regulus'') is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers, as well as being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore, gives rise to its English and scientific ...

woodcock The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...

, chiffchaff and

hen harrier The hen harrier (''Circus cyaneus'') is a bird of prey. It breeds in Eurasia. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Eur ...

. There are also

invertebrates Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordat ...

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

s, and many

frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

and spawn in early summer.

MHKs and elections

Elections results since 2016

In 2014,

Tynwald Tynwald ( gv, Tinvaal), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald ( gv, Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal) or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House of ...

approved recommendations from the Boundary Review Commission which saw the reform of the Island's electoral boundaries. Under the new system, the Island was divided into 12 constituencies based on population, with each area represented by two members of the House of Keys. As a result Onchan's electoral boundaries were changed significantly, with much of the north-easterly part of the village and the parish's rural areas becoming part the enlarged Garff constituency.

2016

2021

References

External links

Manxnotebook - OnchanIsle of Man Building Control DistrictsGlenology - Manx Glens study websiteConstituency maps and general election results
{{House of Keys constituencies Parishes of the Isle of Man Constituencies of the Isle of Man