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Studland

An almost abstract sheela
An almost abstract sheela

The Figures

St Nicholas church, Studland is something of a neglected treasure house of romanesque carving. It lies on the Dorset coast in the Isle of Purbeck.

The Studland Sheela is mentioned in passing in Images of Lust (page 117) but other than that there is very little mention of the figure in Sheela literature. A local guide book to the village of Studland mentions that there has not been much research into the corbel table of the church despite the richness of the carvings. The style of the carving on the corbel table is very much like that of Stoke Sub Hamdon even including some truly abstract figures.  The figure has the left hand holding open an grossly exaggerated vulva with a clearly defined clitoral hood. The right hand is also exaggerated and it’s execution makes it look more like a fin than hand (you can see this jutting out on the left hand side of the photo). It has no body to speak of, a badly worn face is directly joined to a pair of legs and the vulva. The adjacent figure gives you some idea of how it might have looked when new. Near the sheela there is also an acrobatic figure which could also be a less obvious exhibitionist. the figures upside down head is placed between it’s knees the while the whole body is bent backwards. Between the legs there appears to be a suggestion of a vulva complete with clitoral hood, this is however open to interpretation. On the other side of the church a pair of lovers embrace and appear to be enaged in intercourse. Another figure on the corbel table has been identified as broken megaphallic male by Malcolm Thurlby 1. The penis is now missing but the gigantic testicles can still be seen.  It’s well worth paying careful attention to the figures as a few are not always what they seem to be, an abstract pattern on closer inspection becomes the head of two grimacing monsters. The carving on the church on the whole is well executed if now a little worn. It’s surprising that more research into the church has not been done as while it’s corbel table may not be as well preserved as Kilpeck the richness of the carving rivals that famous church.

The figures face is only visible in subdued lighting
The figures face is only visible in subdued lighting

A view of the Studland sheela with the crudely carved face clearly visible. On a previous visit during a bright summer day the face invisible as can be seen from the photo aProceedings of the Dorset N.H. and A.F. Clubbove. Its also interesting to note that the article below from the Proceedings of the Dorset N.H. and A.F. Club also shows the figure as faceless. The picture to the left was taken on an overcast winters day and the face was clearly visible.

Victorian bowdlerised version of the sheela na gig
Victorian bowdlerised version of the sheela na gig

This figure appears in a somewhat abstract form in A Study on the Work of Preservation of the Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset from the Proceedings of the Dorset N.H. and A.F. Club Vol. XII. 1891 as can be seen below. It interesting to note that the figure has not undergone the usual Victorian bowdlerisation prevalent in many studies of the period. A PDF copy of this report can be downloaded from Dr Colin Parsons site on the church here.

 

Proceedings of the Dorset N.H. and A.F. Club

Musician next to sheela figure
Musician next to sheela figure

The Sheela with adjacent figure. The adjacent figure may be playing a rote, a type of lyre. This would seem likely as musicians are often found on corbel tables.  There is a sculpture of an ass playing a rote in Oakham castle where the instrument is depicted in a similar blocky manner 2.  The nearby church of Worth Matravers also holds a rote playing figure on the corbel table the body is more awkwardly twisted than the example on Studland.

Possible exhibitionist acrobat
Possible exhibitionist acrobat

Adjacent acrobatic figure possibly another exhibitionist i.e. the clitoral hood is directly above the head.

Broken phallic figure
Broken phallic figure

This figure has been identified as a broken phallic male by Malcolm Thurlby and Anthony Weir. At first I was somewhat doubtful of this interpretation but as you can see from the photograph it is indeed a broken megaphallic male.The hands can be seen still grasping the grossly enlarged base of the penis the remnants of which can still just be made out under the encrustation of lichen. It’s interesting to note that both the male and female figure on the church are exaggerated or megaphallic and megavulvic respectively

Hidden Monsters
Hidden Monsters

 

Abstract corbel
Abstract corbel

Abstract Corbel (compare to Stoke Sub Hamdon figures)

The Lovers Corbel
The Lovers Corbel

The Lovers. This corbel, while not overtly exhibitionist does seem to represent a couple having intercourse. It’s worth comparing these figures to the lovers at Kilpeck which are more chaste in their embrace.

 

Studland Church
Studland Church

1. The Romanesque Church of St Nicholas, Studland (Dorset)”, Malcom Thurlby and Karen Lundren in Proceedings of the Dorset  Natural History and Archaeological Society.
2. Art and Patronage in the English Romanesque. Sarah Macready Ed. and F.H. Thompson Ed. page 103

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Church Stretton

SheelaChurchStrettonLarge01
The Sheela Na Gig

The Figure

Location: ///bogus.refuse.stack

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The church of Church Stretton is a large 14th century building with elements of previous Norman architecture in
keeping with the nearby churches of Holdgate and Tugford.. The Sheela can be found on the north face of the building over an old Norman doorway. As you can see from the photograph it is quite weathered, the stone has a reddish tinge which is dissimilar from the surrounding stones but is similar to the red sandstone which incorporated from an earlier Norman chapel. Just below the carving is another small carving of a flower which appears to be of the same stone.. This would seem to indicate that this was not it’s original position and might have been taken from an earlier structure. The vagina has been filled in with a small stone this may be an attempt to make the image a little less “crude”. An unusual feature of this figure is the fat thighs or knees. You can just make out vestigal ribs on the chest of the figure. All in all the carving is quite crude which again makes it look at odds with the rest of the church. It is quite high up on the church and appears to be guarding the door below it. This is also the case with the Tugford figures and to a lesser extent the Holdgate Sheela. Another feature of the carving is that it has been dressed only on the left hand side the other sides being left rough. This may indicate it was once part of an opening such as a window or doorway

SheelaChurchStrettonDoor
The blocked up Norman North Door. Sheela Na Gig above.

The Shropshire Group

The Tugford, Holdgate and Church Stretton Sheelas are all in the same vicinity. Holdgate and Tugford being a mile distant from each while Church Stretton is about 10 miles away. You can see the positioning of the sheela below, the flower carvings are just to the right of protruding black stone above the middle of the arch. The door is no longer in use and if you go into the church you can see that it is in fact blocked up. To the right of the doorway is a Saxon stone coffin thought to be one of the oldest artefacts the church owns.

There is more information on the Shropshire group of sheelas at the Shropshire Promotions website

John Harding

Stone Coffin outside the church
Stone Coffin outside the church

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Haddon Hall

SheelaHaddonHall01   SheelaHaddonHall02

 

The Figure

One of the few secular Sheela Na Gigs it can be found inside the old stables (now housing the tourist toilets) at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire . This sheela has been moved recently from its original position over the main door (see below) of the stables to the inside of the stables over what appears to be an old manger. This should prevent further weathering. The carving is fairly crude and large with the legs awkwardly held in the air. The hands are beneath the buttocks pulling either side. This is very reminiscent of the nearby Darley Dale Sheela. According to one of the guides at Haddon Hall the sheela was found in a field nearby and is much older than the hall itself but he also admitted to not knowing that much about the sheela so we have to take that with a pinch of salt. The “found in field” origin for the Sheela may be related to a roman altar to Mars which stands just inside the great hall. This apparently was dug up in one of the fields which sounds perfectly reasonable.

The Norman Connection

Haddon Hall dates from the 12th century but people have been living here since at least the 11th century. The hall is celebrated for it’s state of preservation and parts of the building have been standing since the 12th century. In 1087 when the Domesday book was written William Perevel the illegitimate son of William the Conqueror held the manor. The house became a fortified in around 1195 when a wall was built around it.  The sheela originally resided above the door to the stables which now house the toilets. This Sheela is curious because it is not on a religious building and is unique in Britain as it is the only unequivocal sheela in secular setting. Pevsner gives an Elizabethan date to the stables and Andersen concurs with this stating that the figure is a late example (1600’s). Given that Haddon Hall has been much altered over the years it seems more likely to me that this figure is a survival or perhaps a re-carving of a 12th century figure. Counting against this theory is its size which is quite large for a sheela and larger carving of figures tended to come from later medieval periods. Saying that we have an exhibitionist figure in a site with 12th century connections and most other examples originate from that period.

Apotropaic
Because this is one of the few secular sheelas we can say with some certainty that it is unlikely to be serving as an ecclesiastical warning against the sin of lust. It is however likely to be serving an apotropaic function protecting the building from evil or the devil. Why the stables were in particular need of protection will have to remain a mystery. It’s interesting to compare this figure with the Whittlesford figure which seems to be unequivocally depicting lust. These two examples clearly show why one particular theory does not fit all figures.

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