The parish of Heacham lies in north-western Norfolk, indeed it lies on Norfolk's west coast - a strange anomaly in an east coast county. The parish lies on the Wash coast to the north of King's Lynn and adjacent to the main coast road the A149. Heacham is now something of a seaside resort, the result of growth following the arrival of the railway. Nowadays the railway has gone, closed in the Beeching cuts, but Heacham's bucket & spade status continues with a strip of caravan parks lining the Wash.

St Mary's church lies in the original centre of the village by the coast road. It is a large, imposing church set in a vast churchyard. Most of the church's features indicate a 13th century origin, quite early for Norfolk. The church was once much bigger as the tower shows the lines of what were once transepts which have now been removed. An unusual feature for Norfolk is the slate roof, a change from the Norfolk thatch and tile.