Wreay, Cumbria

St Mary’s Church is an exceptional place of historic significance, national importance and local influence. Created in the 1840’s by Sarah Losh who was both benefactor and architect, it is a simple basilica church influenced by the Italian and French Romanesque churches she visited on her European Grand Tour. Losh embellished the church with symbolic carvings executed by local craftsmen and striking mosaic stained glass windows. It is a unique work that could be mistaken as a product of the Arts and Crafts movement and yet predates it by some 50 years. Architects Plus were involved in the sensitive repair and restoration which involved the relaying of the sandstone roof slabs, extensive internal redecoration, the installation of a new heating and lighting system and the construction of a new vestry.