The little church, with its Romanesque apse and arches, in the Cumbrian village of Wreay, is carved inside and out with flowers, bees, ammonites, butterflies, coral, poppyheads, acorns and, everywhere, with pinecones-ancient symbol of regeneration and fertility. Its pulpit is of bog oak shaped like a fossilised tree. One of its lecterns is a stork with wings arched and neck outstretched. The lid of its font is a mirror where stone water lilies "float", and on its altar, instead of a cross, stand two lotus candlesticks. The church is dedicated to St Mary, but there is no image of her, and few Christian symbols anywhere. Some visitors assumed it was probably built around 1900 and belongs to the Arts and Crafts movement. In fact the church was constructed in 1842, and its architect was a woman, Sarah Losh, born in 1786, daughter of the local squire.
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