Ancient Manx crosses to be made more accessible to the public

The stones are currently kept in the gallery of the church

A collection of "iconic" Manx stone crosses at a church in the south of the island will be made "more accessible" to the public after funding from the Manx Lottery Trust was secured.

Malew Church has been granted more than £16,000 towards the £23,000 project.

The carved stones are currently stored in the gallery of the church, which is difficult to access.

The collection will be put on permanent public display in the north transept of the building.

The stones include two grave markers that date as far back as the 8th Century and a Viking-era standing stone decorated with images from Scandinavian mythology.

Drawings of the stones were made in the early 1900s, while digital images were released last year

Simon Riggall, of the Friends of Malew Church, said the new display would "make a big difference" to public access to the ancient monuments.

"In recent years we have seen interest in the crosses and carved stones increasing," he added.

The project will be supervised by Manx National Heritage (MNH), which is the legal guardian of the collection.

Spokesman Andrew Johnson said making the crosses easier to see was "important" as they represented "such an iconic part of our heritage".

The work is scheduled to be completed by September 2020.