Building proposed to preserve Manx stone crosses outlined

The crosses are currently on display in a shelter at Maughold Churchyard

Proposals for a building to protect Manx medieval carved stone crosses in the north of the Isle of Man have been outlined at meeting.

The open-sided cross house at Maughold churchyard contains a large collection of early Christian and Viking stones.

A committee was formed to work on a plan to preserve the crosses and shelter in 2021.

Initial concept designs for a single-story extension to the Parish Hall to house them have now been revealed.

The current shelter houses a large collection of early Christian and Viking stones

The proposals were put on display at a drop-in session in the hall last week so that members of the community could submit their feedback on them.

A spokeswoman for the Maughold Crosses Committee said they were "very pleased with the turnout" at the session, which showed there was "a lot of interest in the fate of the crosses".

The concept designs would see an extension built to the Maughold Parish Hall

Steve Blackford from Manx National Heritage, which has been working as part of the committee to take the project forward, said the plans would see the stones moved into a "stable environment".

He said although they had "been outside for an awful long time" the crosses needed to be taken indoors in future for "their own welfare".

Mr Blackford said the current outside shelter had a "tendency to have dank air which promotes lichen growth" and a natural exposure to temperature extremes, which made the crosses "more liable to suffer damage from loss of material".

Steve Blackford said the crosses needed to be moved indoors to preserve them

Mr Blackford said the project, which had been designed to have a "low visual impact for the conservation area and immediate neighbours" was in the "very, very early stages".

He said the crosses were "a community heritage asset" and the community was "proud of them, and they should be".

"This building would be a way of displaying them in the best possible way for the future and guaranteeing their safety," he added.

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