Andreas or Kirk Andreas Andreas is a village on the Isle of Man, lying in the north of the island, 5km from the island's second town, Ramsey. There is a large, and nowadays little used airfield in the vicinity.
Location
Andreas lies at an altitude of about 20 metres, in the centre of the island's northern plains, in the parish of Andreas, which takes in part of the sandy lands known as the Curragh, and to the north, contains low, rounded hills. lying between Port Cranstal and Blue Head. It is further within the sheading of Ayre. The A9, A17, A19, B2, B3, and B14 roads all converge on the village. The nearest town is Ramsey. A now little-used RAF airfield is about 1 km to the east.
Facilities
The village has a primary school, Andreas Primary School, which takes children from ages 4 to 11. It also has a breakfast club. The school takes children from across a wide but defined area, some brought by government-sponsored bus. It was originally built in 1903, with the current building dating primarily from 1977. The school logo features a cross based on Viking cross-slabs in the village church, a viking ship based on a local ship burial and the Manx Arms. There is also a parish hall, built in 1939, which hosts a youth club, the local Women's Institute, parties, exhibitions and sports such as badminton and bowls. The first church in the vicinity was Cabbal Vaartyn, on what today is the road between Andreas and The Lhen, and then, after the formation of regular parishes, between 1270 and 1344, a church was built in Andreas itself, dedicated to the village's patron saint, St Andrew. The current building, St Andrew's Church, was built in 1802 with stone from Sulby Glen, and is the Anglican parish church, in the Church of England Diocese of Sodor and Man. A 120-foot bell tower was built in 1869, but reduced in height during World War II. Also in the parish is St Jude's Chapel, built in 1869 in a Romanesque style with a square tower. In March 2005 the Friends of St Jude's took over the upkeep of the chapel and successfully campaigned against its demolition. It is now used for occasional services including weddings, funerals and christenings.
The village has no separate local government, but the Parish of Andreas is overseen by Parish Commissioners, responsible for such aspects as public parks and leisure areas, street lighting and cleaning, certain housing matters and local roads. Andreas is in the Keys constituency of Ayre & Michael.
History
World War II
During the war the RAF Andreas airfield was home to several squadrons, including RAAF Squadrons 457 and 452, an Air Sea Rescue Squadron and an Air Gunnery School. The airfield operated from 1941 to 1946, and had three runways. Subsequently, and up to the present day, it has limited use for agriculture and gliders.
Sport
are based in the village. Founded there in 1967, they compete in the Isle of Man Football League and play their home games at Andreas Playing Fields where they have a clubhouse, built up from an old RAF building brought from Jurby airfield. They were the first club on the island to install floodlights. They won the Manx FA Cup in the 2002-3 season.
