Heysham
Heysham is located in the City of Lancaster district
Heysham
Heysham
Location in the City of Lancaster district
Heysham is located in Morecambe Bay
Heysham
Heysham
Location on Morecambe Bay
Heysham is located in Lancashire
Heysham
Heysham
Location within Lancashire
Population17,016 
OS grid referenceSD415615
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMORECAMBE
Postcode districtLA3
Dialling code01524
PoliceLancashire
FireLancashire
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament

Heysham (/ˈhiːʃəm/ ⓘ HEE-shəm) is a coastal village in 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.

History

Stone-hewn graves overlooking Morecambe Bay

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. 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 remains, and the church itself contains a Viking hogback stone. The purpose of these strange stone sculptures is the subject of much debate; they are found mainly in Northern England and also in Scotland, Wales, Ireland and a few areas of Southern England with Viking links. 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.[1] 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.[2][3]

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.

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.[4]

Demography

Administratively, Heysham is part of the City of Lancaster district and has three wards: Heysham Central (with a population of 4,397 in 2001,[5] increasing to 4,478 at the 2011 Census),[6] Heysham North (5,477 in 2001,[7] decreasing to 5,274 at the 2011 Census)[8] and Heysham South (6,262 in 2001,[9] increasing to 7,264 at the 2011 Census).[10] Together they had a population of 16,136 (2001 census), and 17,016 (2011 census). These include areas beyond the village of Heysham itself, which has a population of about 6,500.

Community

Heysham is the terminus of the Stanlow-Heysham oil pipeline, and of a gas pipeline that originates in Morecambe field in the Irish Sea.[11]

Industry and transport

Heysham Port started operation in 1904. There is a ferry service to the Isle of Man, as well as freight to Ireland and services for the eastern Irish Sea and Morecambe Bay gas fields. A SeaCat service to Belfast started in 1999. Some ferries connect with trains from Heysham Port railway station to Lancaster via the Morecambe Branch Line.

Heysham oil refinery was located between Heysham and Middleton and operated from 1941 to 1976.

The Bay Gateway dual carriageway opened in October 2016, connecting Heysham directly to the M6 motorway.[12]

Nature and wildlife

The Lancashire Wildlife Trust manages a 3-hectare (7.4-acre) nature reserve near to the nuclear power stations.[13] Whitethroats breed on the scrubland. Nearby, on the sea shore is a patch of rock known as Red Nab where waders and gulls roost and congregate. Two warm water outfalls from the power stations enrich the food supply for migratory seabirds such as little gulls and Mediterranean gulls. Winter visitors include kittiwakes and purple sandpipers.[14]

Notable people

The artist J. M. W. Turner visited Heysham in the 1790s when travelling throughout Britain. On a visit in August 1816,[15] 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.

Professional footballer David Perkins was born in Heysham.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mikučionis, Ugnius (2017). "Recognizing a dvergr: Physical Status and External Appearance of dvergar in Medieval Nordic Sources (8th-13th century)". Roda da Fortuna: Electronic Journal About Antiquity and Middle Ages. 6 (1). S2CID 221713017.
  2. ↑ Nash, George (2008). "The Heysham labyrinth, Morecambe Bay, northern England". Rock Art Research. 25 (2).
  3. ↑ "The Labyrinth". rockartuk.wordpress.com. 13 October 2007. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "HHA". www.heyshamheritage.org.uk.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Heysham Central Ward (E05005231)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ↑ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Heysham North Ward (E05005232)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ↑ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Heysham South Ward (E05005233)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  11. ↑ "United Kingdom and Ireland Pipelines map". theodora.com. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "Heysham link road opens". ITV News.
  13. ↑ "Heysham Nature Reserve | The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside". www.lancswt.org.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  14. ↑ Lawson, Ken (1994). A Birdwatchers' Guide to Lancashire. Lancashire County Books. pp. 30–32. ISBN 978-1-871236-32-3 – via Internet Archive.
  15. ↑ In Turner's Footsteps, through the hills and dales of Northern England: David Hill : John Murray 1984
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