Castletown (Manx: Balley y Chashtal, pronounced [ˈbalʲə ˈxaʃtʃəl]) is a town in the Isle of Man, geographically within the historical parish of Malew but administered separately.

Castletown is the former capital of the Isle of Man and site of the Tynwald, and can trace its roots back to 1090.

Castle Rushen (at the centre of the town) was originally built in 1265 for a Norse king, then fortified and added to by successive rulers between the 13th and 16th centuries.

The town and castle were the site of a number of sieges and battles, especially during the years when control of the island passed between the Norse, Scots and English.

The history of the town and island is illustrated in four Manx National Heritage sites in the centre of Castletown: Castle Rushen, the Nautical Museum (in the secret passage-filled home of inventor, politician, banker and probable smuggler George Quayle), the Old Grammar School (originally a church from 1200 AD) and the Old House of Keys.

Commercial traffic to the port ended in the 1970s, although there has been an ongoing expansion of financial and industrial businesses in the area.

The town's representative for 30 years until 2011 was Tony Brown, who was the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man after the 2006 Manx general election.

At Scarlett, a short distance to the south of the town, there are the remains of an ancient volcano[7] and various other features such as fossils and thick sheets of limestone.

The airport runways and aprons spread over the area to the edge of the grounds of King William's College and close to the Janet's Corner local authority housing estate.

[8] The old grammar school in the town, which later became a chapel, is now an exhibit of a Victorian period schoolroom, part of the Story of Mann.

Designed by local architect James Cowle, it features a scissor-braced roof, canopied stalls, wall paintings, and stained glass windows.

The chapel is staffed by a Church of England priest who is employed by the college and licensed by the Bishop of Sodor and Man.

[10] St Mary's Roman Catholic Church is on Bowling Green Road, near Janet's Corner.

It can trace its history back to the visits of the founder of Methodism John Wesley to the town in the 18th century.

They have been champions of the Isle of Man League eight times, including three consecutive seasons from 1922–23 to 1924-25 and won the Manx F.A.

[13][14] There are two Rugby Union football clubs in the town; both play in the Manx Shield: Castletown R.U.F.C.

The links has hosted, among other events, the PGA Cup (1979), Europro Tour 2002, Manx Classic Pro Am and the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy in 2003 and again in 2005.

The course is home to the Southern 100, a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man in July of each year.

[18] This annual event takes place in the middle harbour; it is organised by the Castletown Ale Drinkers' Society and sponsored by local breweries, with support from the Isle of Man Department of Community, Culture and Leisure and further sponsorship from local radio station Three FM.

The "culture day" prior to the closing ceremony of the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games was held in Castletown on 12 September 2011 with competitors all travelling by steam train to the town square, where a number of attractions were laid on.

The town centre retains its early layout, echoing the cluster of houses around the Castle, the harbour and the military parade ground, is still used as a market place.

The interested visitor can still identify the original building plots, and the crofts attached to them, which have given their name to a residential area close to the town centre.

[24] In 1938 tunnels under the town square were found (by Ramsey Quayle, the local baker, who was replacing an oven in his basement) leading to the Castle from nearby houses.