Bugthorpe
St Andrew
The figure in St Andrew's church, Bugthorpe is thought to be a sheela or exhibitionist but it is heavily covered in whitewash so it is impossible to be sure. It may be a beak head, a popular motif in Romanesque architecture but until/unless it is uncovered we will not know for sure.
The possible sheela figure sits on the south of the chancel arch and is displayed on its side.
I visited the church again in September 2014 to see if any steps had been taken to uncover the sheela. Unfortunately she sits there still covered but another figure on the east side of the arch has been uncovered (this features a lamb and a dove) so maybe this was preparatory work for the rest of the arch.
The possible sheela figure sits on the south of the chancel arch and is displayed on its side.
I visited the church again in September 2014 to see if any steps had been taken to uncover the sheela. Unfortunately she sits there still covered but another figure on the east side of the arch has been uncovered (this features a lamb and a dove) so maybe this was preparatory work for the rest of the arch.
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covered sheela
Page updated on 30 July 2021