St. John's, Isle of Man

infobox UK place
crown_dependency = Isle of Man
official_name= St John's
manx_name= Balley Keeill Eoin
latitude= 54.202
longitude= -4.641
manx_parish= German
manx_shedding= Glenfaba
constituency_manx_parliament= Peel
post_town= ISLE OF MAN
postcode_district = IM4
postcode_area= IM
dial_code= 01624
map_type = Isle of Man
os_grid_reference= SC277818
douglas_distance=
static_

static_image_caption=Tynwald Hill

The village of St John's ( _gv. Balley Keeill Eoin) is a small village on the A1 Douglas to Peel road in the central valley of the Isle of Man.

Tynwald Hill, the original assembly place for the Isle of Man parliament, Tynwald, is the scene of the annual ceremony when the laws of the Isle of Man are proclaimed in English and Manx every July 5. Tynwald Day attracts thousands of spectators to watch the ceremony and participate in the Tynwald Fair.

The church in the village is dedicated to St John and the village and parish are named for the church. Within the church are reserved seats with name plaques for members of both chambers of the Manx parliament, whilst in the adjacent church hall is an exhibition detailing the history of the Tynwald. The village is dominated by _gv. "Slieau Whallian", a steep hill to its south. The Tynwald National Park (also known as the Arboretum) is situated on the north side of the village.

Opposite the church is the site of the ancient pound where stray animals were placed until claimed. If unclaimed after a year and a day they became the property of the Lord of Mann, whilst the recovery fee for reclaimed animals was shared equally between the Lord of Mann and the pound official. Also displayed on that site are large stones from a 2300 BC burial chamber found locally.

Since 2003, the former St John's School building has been used by the _gv. "Bunscoill Ghaelgagh" (the Manx language primary school).

External links

* [http://www.bunscoill.iofm.net/ _gv. "Bunscoill Gaelgagh"]
* [http://www.isleofman.com/Tourism/Introduction/Towns/StJohns.aspx Information about St John's]