I've just been over to a friend's blog to catch up and she'd been to Heysham which is just a mile or two from I grew up in Morecambe. Heysham Head and Half Moon Bay evoke childhood memories of sunny days, swimsuits and ice-creams. I came across this account of Summer days there in gentler times.....I too can remember puppets shows, Little Red Riding which at the age of 3 yrs caused an awful nightmare, and the signs for nettle beer for sale.
Although now home to a hideous nuclear power station and a busy port for ships to the Isle of Man and Ireland Heysham still has a lot of history and natural beauty to offer.
Unka Tom took us for a drive one overcast Sunday morning up to Heysham Head to see once again the ancient (some say 444AD) chapel ruins and stone graves which seem to have been carved out a little later. This is the remaining chapel wall, built by St Patrick before the Vikings came and conquered. You can see past the chapel and across Morecambe Bay to the Lakeland Fells.
The stone coffins are amazing...can you see the right-hand coffin has room for a small child near the parent's shoulder? They would have had a heavy stone lid at the time. There are 6 graves here and another two nearby.
Some folks find a different use for them today! This very hot border collie had earned a cool dip!
We then walked back down the hill to St Peter's Church which was started in the early 1700s, it has 2 bells in the tower and a lovely old sun-dial in the grounds. The graves were interesting too and we saw some Kellet graves, Mark Kellet's great-grandfather perhaps? Mark is married to my cousin, Katherine. There were Mashiter graves too, Auntie Jessie is Mrs Mashiter.
Joe's all-time favourite epitaph....
This is part of an Anglican Cross dating back to the 7thC...you can see the carving has a Celtic influence,
The rain had started at this stage and we were getting very hungry so we carried on down through the village and back to the car...have a look at some of the beautiful cottages in the village...I think we went out for a roast dinner with family that day.
This is the Heysham Jubilee Institute which looks as if it has been converted into a house now...dated 1897 which was the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, 60 years as Queen.
If you'd like to read a lot more about the history of Heysham this is a good link to follow http://www.sandhak.co.uk/html/history_of_heysham.html
Joe and Unka Tom often joke that "it always rains in England"! I know that's not the case but looking back on my holiday photos I can see we do get plenty of rain and it is indeed a 'green and pleasant land'.
I made the soap yesterday and added a teaspoon of cocoa powder to give it a warm brown colouring. It's rained all night again with sporadic thunder , I love this weather as I know it will pass all too soon and be far too hot!
Have a Thundering Good Thursday,
Love from Sue
xx
ETA this u-tube video that 'Mum' has... what a cheek I have lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QszKy8YDIsk Have a walk around the village with us?
Although now home to a hideous nuclear power station and a busy port for ships to the Isle of Man and Ireland Heysham still has a lot of history and natural beauty to offer.
Unka Tom took us for a drive one overcast Sunday morning up to Heysham Head to see once again the ancient (some say 444AD) chapel ruins and stone graves which seem to have been carved out a little later. This is the remaining chapel wall, built by St Patrick before the Vikings came and conquered. You can see past the chapel and across Morecambe Bay to the Lakeland Fells.
The stone coffins are amazing...can you see the right-hand coffin has room for a small child near the parent's shoulder? They would have had a heavy stone lid at the time. There are 6 graves here and another two nearby.
Some folks find a different use for them today! This very hot border collie had earned a cool dip!
We then walked back down the hill to St Peter's Church which was started in the early 1700s, it has 2 bells in the tower and a lovely old sun-dial in the grounds. The graves were interesting too and we saw some Kellet graves, Mark Kellet's great-grandfather perhaps? Mark is married to my cousin, Katherine. There were Mashiter graves too, Auntie Jessie is Mrs Mashiter.
Joe's all-time favourite epitaph....
This is part of an Anglican Cross dating back to the 7thC...you can see the carving has a Celtic influence,
The rain had started at this stage and we were getting very hungry so we carried on down through the village and back to the car...have a look at some of the beautiful cottages in the village...I think we went out for a roast dinner with family that day.
If you'd like to read a lot more about the history of Heysham this is a good link to follow http://www.sandhak.co.uk/html/history_of_heysham.html
Joe and Unka Tom often joke that "it always rains in England"! I know that's not the case but looking back on my holiday photos I can see we do get plenty of rain and it is indeed a 'green and pleasant land'.
I made the soap yesterday and added a teaspoon of cocoa powder to give it a warm brown colouring. It's rained all night again with sporadic thunder , I love this weather as I know it will pass all too soon and be far too hot!
Have a Thundering Good Thursday,
Love from Sue
xx
ETA this u-tube video that 'Mum' has... what a cheek I have lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QszKy8YDIsk Have a walk around the village with us?
What a small world. I went for my walk all over again! The 3rd cottage of your pics had a For Sale sign and SOLD outside. What a beautiful spot to live. The pub was just opposite too.
ReplyDeleteLove from Mum
xx
Sue, you're not going to believe this, I saw the piccie on this post first and thought "I know where that is!". I moved here to Australia from Morecambe. They obviously breed them well over there lol!
ReplyDeleteNo way Claire...I can't believe this lol I was born in Lancaster and lived in Morecambe(Sandylands) from 1959 to 1967. Have a look at my Hest Bank post too!
ReplyDeleteMum it was thanks to you that I relived our own visit there...it is a small world and you will see that Claire has also lived in Morecambe. (Mum is in Blackpool, Claire)
I'm gob-smacked lol
PS Mum is not my Mum...it's her blogger name :D
ReplyDeleteWow, it looks like Doc martin country to me. Such nice memories to share Sue.
ReplyDeleteHehe, I went to Sandylands school and lived very near. I cover the period of 1978 to 2005. I've got a lot of ties to Blackpool too oddly enough.
ReplyDeleteI first realised it was a small world when I bumped into someone who lived 1 street away in Morecambe (though we weren't previously acquainted) in the middle of Istanbul airport. Some things just boggle the mind.
Oh Claire I went to Sandylands County Primary School too 1961-1967 lol
ReplyDeleteWe lived on Lordsome Rd which runs parallel to Balmoral Ave and you get there down Harewood or Norfolk Ave! Mum worked at the Balmoral Hotel at one point too and was a dinner lady at what is now Heysham High School! There is a family around the corner here from about halfway to Heysham from our old home but we didn't know them there!
Rose hallo...it does look a little like Cornwall doesn't it from my photos?
xx
and Rose
Oh Sue, this gets funnier. I lived on Harewood and my mum was a dinner lady at Sandylands! I think mums friend still lives on Lordsome. I don't know the Balmoral Hotel though, unless that's what is now known as the Park Hotel?
ReplyDeleteI went to St. Patricks School in Heysham, and a Mark Kellet was in my class. Just wondering if its the same Mark. He father was called Peter. My name is Paul Sanderson - email sandyson1967 at hotmail.com
ReplyDelete