Tynwald Hill at St John’s is the traditional, ancient meeting place of the Manx parliamentary assembly, dating back at least 1,000 years!
The four-tiered hill is used in the modern Tynwald Day ceremony. The parliament of the island has its origins in the ‘things‘ of the Viking Age (a ‘thing’, pronounced ‘ting’, is a Viking gathering or assembly) and is a living legacy of the Viking era.
Did you know that the hill itself is an artificial mound with sods of earth from each parish forming each tier?
Tynwald Hill is one of four known Viking assembly sites on the Isle of Man. The other Viking assembly sites were Castle Rushen, Kirk Michael and Keeill Abban.