Middleton

Post Office

My Mum Elsie Hope and I (Ann Parkinson) ran the Post Office in Heysham Village at the height of its popularity, from 1962 to 1969. Those were the days of wakes weeks when visitors came flooding to Morecambe and Heysham. Apart from the usual post office stuff we sold all sorts of items for people to take home as memories of their holidays, as well as hundreds of post cards each week. My step-father Roland worked at ICI during the week but liked nothing more than helping in the shop on busy Sundays in the summer. We lived in Heysham Hall Drive and used to spend time at Heysham Towers Holiday Camp. I have really happy memories of living and working in Heysham, and having nights out with friends in Morecambe, also seeing shows at the Winter Gardens. Two of my daughters and I visited Morecambe and Heysham a few weeks ago. It was so sad to go into the Winter Garden and see it in... Read more

Heysham Tower

Heysham Tower 1915
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This is not so much a personal memory, as a personal connection! My great-great grandparents lived at the Tower. Thomas John Knowlys (b.1803) and his wife, Anna Maria, (MarIea, not Maree-a!!) nee Hesketh, lived and died there, and had most of their ten children there! I believe Anna's father, Robert Hesketh, gave her the land in the area. In the days before petrol, I was interested to learn TJK was Magistrate for Lancashire & Southampton, & JP for Stockwell among other titles! He was a scientist, and invented different types of paint. This I believe led to his untimely death. Their daughter, Frances, married a clergyman, the Rev. Canon T.W. Jones, and they were my ancestors. Two other children went to live at the famous haunted house, Wymering Manor, in Hampshire. The married one of the two had a son, Tom Parr, who is still much talked about at Wymering today! I have an early photograph of Heysham Tower (and several of Wymering).

Heysham Hall - A Vestige of Its Former Glory

Hall c1915
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Parts of the Hall are still in existence. Some is divided into flats, whereas the pseudo-ecclesiastical 'ruins' are in people's gardens. I'd be grateful for information about the Hall's history.

Nearly Gone

Stone Coffins 1891
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Childhood 60s Memeoreis

I have fond memories of Heysham as a child, during the 1960s, drinking nettle beer with my brother and sisters.  My auntie Hilda and uncle Billy lived in Ulverston, and my uncle worked at the ICI works, I think it was Half Moon Bay, we used to go and sit on the rocks while my uncle used to bring us our dinner which I presume he got from the works.  I've not been back to Heysham since being a child.  I'm now 57 years old and will be going back in the summer maybe its all changed now but nevertheless I'll go to see and relive some of my childhood.  PS I remember once going aboard a destroyer to have a look round I got pictures somewhere so would like to add them soon.

Heysham Towers

Morecambe Bay Holiday Camp, aka Heysham Towers, in the early sixties as a teenager. The Towers were owned by the Holdens, I especially remember Derek and Jean. We were roused by the 'phantom buglar' and didn't have a minute to spare until 'Goodnight Campers'. We danced to Norman Robinson's band, and Jack Winston playing the organ. The activities were organised by Reg Kerr and Jimmy MacHugh. We had some good times in the 'Nip Inn'. Sometimes we would go into the village to drink Mrs Holmes' nettle beer or have delicious knickerbocker glories at the tea gardens opposite St Peter's Church. Such happy times, never forgotten.
Sadly, the towers are gone, but the memory lingers on.

Heysham And Entertainment

For a few seasons at Heaysham Towers I was a kid entertainer. I played the accordion and the show was put together by Madam Patti Regina. Johnny Spillers was the entertainment guy. I think the show played on Sunday afternoons.

I live in the USA now but often think of the old days.

Grant Slinger