Why visit Heysham
Townapedia lists 7 museums and landmarks, 10 parks and trails, 29 places to eat, 5 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Morecambe Winter Gardens, Alhambra Theatre, Heysham hogback and Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial.
Weather in Heysham
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About Heysham
Heysham is a coastal village in the Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, overlooking Morecambe Bay. It is a ferry port, with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland, and the site of two nuclear power stations.
From the Wikipedia article Heysham (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Morecambe Winter Gardens
Cinema and theater · 2.2 mi
Theatre/entertainment venue in Morecambe, England
Alhambra Theatre
Cinema and theater · 1.6 mi
Former theatre and cinema in Morecambe, England, later cabaret and discotheque, then converted to shops and flats
Frontierland, Morecambe
Monument and historic site · 1.9 mi
Former Amusement Park
Museums and landmarks7
Heysham hogback
Monument and historic site · 0.4 mi
Viking period grave marker in Lancashire, England
Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 2.2 mi
War memorial in Morecambe, Lancashire, England, UK
Heysham Visitor Centre
Museum · 1.2 mi
Princess Alexandra Way, Heysham
"by appointment, pre-bookings only"
Westfield War Memorial Village
Monument and historic site · 3.3 mi
Village in Lancashire, England, UK
Parks, trails and playgrounds10
Restaurants and cafes29
Half Moon Bay Cafe
Cafe · Chips, Sandwich, Cake, Ice Cream, Tea, Coffee, Sweets · 0.6 mi
Smithy Lane, Heysham
17 more on the map.
History
Of historical interest are the stone-hewn graves in the ruins of the ancient St. Patrick's Chapel, close to St Peter's Church. They are thought to date from the 11th century, and are carved from solid rock. Local legend has it that St Patrick landed here after crossing from Ireland and established the chapel. However it has been established that the chapel was built around 300 years after Patrick's death, and is thus associated with early Celtic Christianity. These stone graves appear on the cover of the Black Sabbath CD, The Best of Black Sabbath.
The grounds of St Peter's Church contain many Saxon and Viking era remains, and the church itself contains a Viking era hogback stone. The origins of these strange stone sculptures is the subject of much debate; they are found mainly in Northern England and Scotland, with a few in Wales, Ireland and Cornwall. Many are associated with the Cumbric British Kingdom of Strathclyde. Four figures on the hogback have been interpreted by scholars as the four dwarfs who hold up the sky in Nordic mythology, Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri, although this is debated. Heysham also has one of only three sites in Britain and Ireland that contain a pre-Roman labyrinth carving; the others are at Tintagel, Cornwall and Hollywood, Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
Read more of the history
Lancaster Museum holds artefacts from the area such as stone axe and hammer heads, some weighing up to 4 kg (9 lb), dating back to the New Stone Age. Many of these artefacts and their original location suggest that this was an ancient burial ground, or barrow; the area is still known locally as "The Barrows". The Barrows are the only sea-cliffs in Lancashire and contain, in a relatively small area, woodland, open grassland, sandy beaches and deep rock pools.
The artist J. M. W. Turner visited Heysham in the 1790s when travelling throughout Britain. On a visit in August 1816, he made sketches which formed the basis of his subsequent watercolour Heysham and Cumberland Mountains (British Museum); it depicts the village with the Lakeland backdrop across Morecambe Bay.
Heysham Heritage Centre is housed in the barn of a Longhouse in Main Street. The building is owned by the Heritage Trust for the North West, who also own the cottage part of the longhouse, 22 Main Street. The Heritage Centre is run by volunteers, most of whom belong to Heysham Heritage Association.
From the History section of Heysham on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Heysham
David PerkinsFootballer (born 1982)Photo: Timmy96, CC0
Gertrude Partington AlbrightAmerican etcher, oil painter, printmaker (1874–1959)Photo: Gertrude Partington Albright, Public domain- Florence Everilda GoodeveEnglish composer and lyricist, often credited as Mrs Arthur Goodeve
Born in Heysham, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay5
Churches and places of worship18
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries8
Healthcare4
Map of Heysham
88 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Walney Aerodrome (BWF) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 16 miles away.
- Ulverston 13 mi northwest, about 21 min by car
- Poulton-le-Fylde 15 mi south, about 24 min by car
- Blackpool 17 mi south, about 27 min by car
- Kendal 20 mi north, about 33 min by car
- Preston 21 mi south, about 34 min by car
- Blackburn 26 mi southeast, about 42 min by car
- Padiham 29 mi southeast, about 46 min by car
- Burnley 32 mi southeast, about 51 min by car
- Nelson 32 mi southeast, about 51 min by car
- Wigan 36 mi south, about 58 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Heysham
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Heysham Harbour, from entrance, Rwendland, Public domain
- Old Hall Hotel, Heysham, Karl and Ali, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Heysham village roundabout, The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Heysham Library (14689029966), JuliaC2006 from Rochester, UK, CC BY 2.0
- Morecambe WInter Gardens, Phantom56798, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Holy Trinity Church, Morecambe, Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0
- St Barnabas Church Morecambe - panoramio, flipflopnick, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St Christopher's Church, Bare, Stephen Armstrong, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Church of St Lawrence - panoramio, flipflopnick, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St. Peter's Church, Heysham, Antiquary, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St Patrick's Chapel, Heysham, Alexander P Kapp, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Heysham hogback 2 - 2022-12-31, The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial - view from NW, Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Heysham heritage centre long house, Secretlondon, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Half Moon Bay, Heysham (8077784162), Craig Sunter from Manchester, UK, CC BY 2.0
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