St Bees
| St Bees | |
|---|---|
 St Bees Village |
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 St Bees
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| St Bees shown within Cumbria | |
| Population | 1,801 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | NX971115 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ST. BEES |
| Postcode district | CA27 |
| Dialling code | 01946 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | |
St Bees is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Copeland district of Cumbria on the Irish Sea coast just south of St Bees Head, the most westerly point of Northern England.
In the parish is St Bees Head which is the only Heritage Coast between Wales and Scotland which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is the spectacular location of the largest seabird colony in north-west England. St Bees Lighthouse stands on the North Head.
Historically in Cumberland, St Bees is a popular holiday destination due the coastline and proximity to the Lake District, and in the village there is St Bees Priory, and the St Bees School site (the school is temporarily closed). The Wainwright Coast to Coast Walk starts from the north end of St Bees Bay which is within easy walking distance of the main village centre.
Evidence of Mesolithic and Bronze Age habitation has been found in St Bees, but nothing of the Roman occupation. The name St Bees is a corruption of the Norse name for the village, which is given in the earliest charter of the Priory as "Kyrkeby becok", which can be translated as the "Church town of Bega", relating to the local Saint Bega. She was said to be an Irish princess who fled across the Irish Sea to St Bees to avoid an enforced marriage. Carved stones at the priory show that Irish-Norse Vikings settled here in the 10th century.
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Wikipedia