High Hesket Cumbria the Lake District.

High Hesket village south-east of Carlisle Cumbria

High Hesket

High Hesket is a small group of houses, a school, an inn, and a church strung along the A6 road north of Penrith.

St Marys church is made up of varying features from different centuries. The arched windows of the nave date from 1720, while the east and north aisles are from Victorian times. The chancel arch is 13^th / 14^th century. Features include a 17^th century double bellcote and 18^th century west porch. Bodies of people who died from the plague were sent here from Carlisle for burial; the church was built on the site as a direct result. A mausoleum of the Parker family lies in the churchyard.

Farming is the main occupation in the surrounding countryside. A nearby 100-acre lake, Wadling tarn, is a carp fishing site. A castle, Hewin, once lay on the north-east shore, but its remains have vanished. It was supposedly a stronghold of Swaine, a Cumberland king. Viking arms were discovered near the village inn.

Location Map of High Hesket
High Hesket is 8 miles south-east of Carlisle on the A6.

Photo courtesy of Steve Bulman

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