St Peter, Heysham
St Peter, Heysham
St Peter’s is a Grade I parish church off Main Street in Heysham, Lancashire, in the Diocese of Blackburn, a short walk from the ruined chapel of St Patrick and the rock-cut tombs on the headland.
- Location
- Heysham, Lancashire
- Country
- England
- County
- Lancashire
- City / town
- Heysham
- Address
- Main Street, Heysham, Lancashire, LA3 2RN
- Postcode
- LA3 2RN
- Built
- C14 and c.1500 with pre-Conquest remains; north aisle 1864
- Architect
- E G Paley (restoration and north aisle 1864)
- Denomination
- Church of England
- Dedication
- Peter
- Diocese
- Blackburn
- Parish
- Heysham
- Grade
- I
- Style
- Anglo-Saxon, Gothic and Gothic Revival
- Materials
- Sandstone rubble with stone slate roofs
- Grid reference
- SD 410 616
- Opening hours
- Church is open during the week and free guided tours are given Monday to Thursday 11am to 3pm.
- Access
- Ramp or level access available on request. Level access to the main areas. Level access throughout. Accessible toilets in church
Overview
Historic England records a church of the fourteenth century and about 1500, with pre-Conquest remains and mid-nineteenth-century alterations, restored and given a north aisle in 1864. The fabric is sandstone rubble with stone slate roofs. The plan comprises a nave with north and south aisles under a continuous roof, a west bellcote and south porch, and a lower chancel with north and south aisles. The west wall retains a blocked round-headed doorway from the pre-Conquest church, with a nineteenth-century two-light window above.
The interior has exposed rubble walls. The two-bay nave arcades have chamfered pointed arches on octagonal piers; the north arcade dates from 1864, as does the open timber roof. The east chancel window is of about 1300, of three lights with intersecting tracery. Wikipedia notes the 1864 work as by E. G. Paley. The nearby ruins of St Patrick’s Chapel are separately listed at Grade I.