Ballaugh

infobox UK place
crown_dependency = Isle of Man
official_name= Ballaugh
manx_name= Balley ny Loughey
latitude= 54.311
longitude= -4.544
population = 1,042 (2006 Census)
manx_parish= Ballaugh
manx_shedding= Michael
constituency_manx_parliament= Michael
post_town= ISLE OF MAN
postcode_district = IM7
postcode_area= IM
dial_code= 01624
os_grid_reference= SC345936
douglas_distance=
static_

static_image_caption=
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- align=center bgcolor=pink!Main Glens
- align=left|

Ballaugh ( _gv. Balley ny Loughey) is a parish and a village on the Isle of Man. According to the 2006 census, the parish has 1042 (2001 census, 868) residents.

It is mainly an agricultural district on the north-western coast of the island. The parish is one of three in the sheading of Michael. The other two are Jurby and Michael.

There is one pub in Ballaugh, "the Raven", which has been recently refurbished and also serves food.

There is one shop in the village - the One Stop shop, which incorporates a post office and small cafe.

The village has one primary school, Ballaugh School, serving children between the ages of 4 and 11. Currently the school has about 80 pupils and the Head Teacher is Mr Richard Clark. Local children between the ages of 12 and 18 generally attend either the Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel or Ramsey Grammar School in Ramsey.

The village is situated on the main A3 Castletown to Ramsey road, about 7 miles west of Ramsey. The village is famous for its hump-backed bridge and, during the annual TT and Manx Grand Prix races, is a favourite spectator spot, being always accessible (via Ramsey and Sandygate) when the roads are closed for racing.

A mile east of the village is the Widlife Park, situated in the Ramsar Convention recognised and internationally important Ballaugh Curraghs wetland.

History

There are in Ballaugh many interesting sites of historical interest. There is a thriving heritage group who hold regular meetings and arrange walks around the area. Research into the social history of the area, in particular the beautiful isolated Glen Dhoo, is being carried out. The name 'Ballaugh' derives from the Manx "Balley-ny-Loghey" or "the place of the lake". The Ballaugh Curraghs is all that remains of this lake. The lake, which measured up to a mile in length, was drained by the excavation about 300 years ago of the silted-up Lhen trench which, during the ice-age, is believed to have been a melt-water channel flowing north to south from the melting ice front.

References

* [http://www.braddan.gov.im/upload/map%20of%20local%20districts%20and%20parishes.pdf Isle of Man Building Control Districts] showing parish boundaries
* [http://great.outdoors.com/manxglens Glenology - Manx Glens] . An ongoing study of Manx glens, their locations and meanings.

External links

* [http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/parishes/bh/ A Manx Notebook]
* [http://www.iomguide.com/crosses/ballaugh/kirkballaugh.php IOM Guide: Kirk Ballaugh]
* [http://www.gov.im/mnh/heritage/story/manxcrosses.xml Manx National Heritage]
* [http://www.geohive.com/cd/link.php?xml=im&xsl=neo1 GeoHive Census Information]
* [http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/treasury/economic/census/isleofmancensusreport2006.pdf Isle of Man 2006 Census Report ]