Sheela Na Gig

On the capital of the first pillar in the nave of St Botolph's Church, Shepshed, in the northwest corner. It would once have been seen on the outside wall of the church, which was built in the 11th century. A wooden church is thought to have predated the stone church, but standing as it does at the highest point of Shepshed, the site may also have been a focus of pre-Christian rites. No-one is sure of the significance of the Shella na Gig, a form found frequently throughout Britain and Ireland. The carving shows an old woman bent over extending her vulva. Whether it was meant to be a protection against evil or a warning against the dangers of lust, no one can be definitive.