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Stone graves overlooking Morecambe Bay, with the mountains of the Lake District in the distance

St. Peter's Church

Heysham (pronounced "hee-sham") is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. It overlooks Morecambe Bay and has two AGR nuclear power stations which are visible landmarks from hills in the surrounding area. Heysham is composed of three wards: Heysham Central (with a population of 4,397) [1], Heysham North (5,477) [2] and Heysham South (6,262) [3]; together they have a population of 16,136 (2001 census).

Of historical interest are the stone graves, found in the ruins of an ancient chapel, known as St. Patrick's, close to St. Peter's Church. They are thought to date from the 11th Century, and are hewn from solid rock. Local legend has it that St. Patrick himself landed on the site after crossing from Ireland, and established the chapel as a base of worship. However, it has been established that the chapel was built around 300 years after Patrick's death. The stone graves at Heysham appear on the cover of the Black Sabbath CD/DVD/etc 'Best Of Black Sabbath'. The grounds of St. Peter's church contain many Saxon and Viking remains, and the church itself contains a hogback stone, dating from the Viking ages. The purpose of these strange stone sculptures is the subject of much debate; all that is known for certain is that they are found almost exclusively in the north of England, and variously in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and a few areas of southern England with Viking links.

The area upon which the ruins stand is known as 'The Barrows', most likely taking its name from the incredible views of Barrow-in-Furness, Grange-over-Sands, and the surrounding area around the bay. 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 harbour was built in 1900, and the port of Heysham provides a ferry service to the Isle of Man, as well as freight to Ireland and Europe and services for the East Irish Sea and Morecambe Bay gas fields. A Seacat service to Belfast started in 1999. Some ferry services connect with train services from Heysham Port railway station to Lancaster via the Morecambe Branch Line.

Tide tables can be obtained at Bay Horse Lancaster weather site [[4]] [www.bayhorse-lancaster.co.uk]

The artist J. M. W. Turner was in Heysham in the 1790s when travelling throughout Britain. His paintings show an early Heysham village with the spectacular lakeland backdrop.

Heysham won the Village award in the 2005 Britain in Bloom awards.

• Heysham tourist information
• Turner painting of Heysham

Coordinates: 54°02′46″N, 2°53′32″W