 This figure can
be found in at the Church of St Andrews in Clevedon, North Somerset. The
church is thought to date from the 12th century but has been added to
over the years. There is some doubt over the date of the foundation with
several dates possible from 1090-1170. The masonry however is late
Norman. The tower was originally short and quite stubby and was raised
to its present height in the 17th century. There is a rich corbel table
surrounding the tower (see below) with each corbel being carved. However
the carvings are now so worn as be almost indistinguishable from the
ground. The variation in carving can be seen from the different outlines
of the corbels. Despite the number of carvings on the church nothing has
been published on them 1.
The majority of the carvings are heads which can be found in double,
treble and janiform styles. One corbel is very abstract and it's very
hard to tell what it is meant to represent.
The alleged sheela figure can be found on the right hand side
of the church as you walk in through the main gate. It is one of a
number of corbels (see below for examples) which are just above head
height under the eaves of the church roof. The figure hold a foot in each hand
in an acrobatic position which is very similar to a figure in Lower
Swell. There are no immediate genitals visible but
there is a small cleft in the middle of the groin and there also appears
to be the remains of a large cigar shaped area of stone immediately in
between the legs. This could indicate that the carving has been defaced
at some time. If this was originally a vulva then it would be similar in
relative size to the Oaksey Sheela however it could equally be a
mega-phallic male. Unfortunately it is now too worn to be sure either
way.
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Bulbous eyed head on corner. |
Cat head |
Bird corbel. |
The tower with corbel table. |
1 . Information kindly supplied by Jane Hill of North Somerset Museum Service.
