Meet Sheela na gig

We Stumbled across this ancient carving over a doorway at St Laurences's Church, Church Stretton.
Sheela na gigs are figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva.They are like Gargoyles found on churches and other buildings, mostly in Ireland, but there are only 45 recorded in Britain.
Such carvings are said to ward off death and evil spirits.
Another theory is that the carvings are remnants of a Pagan Mother Goddess religion,  suggesting that the differences in materials and styles of the carved stone from their surrounding materials, and noting that some are turned on their side, to support the idea that they were incorporated from previous structures into early christian buildings. The origin of the name, Sheela na gig, it is suggested comes from Irish Gaelic
Síle na gcíoch, meaning "Julia of the breasts"
They often are positioned over doors or windows, presumably to protect these openings.
Shropshire gets more interesting everyday.