Sara Losh facts for kids
Sara Losh (1785 – March 29, 1853) was a talented English architect and designer. She was also a landowner in Wreay, Cumberland (now Cumbria). Her most famous work is St Mary's Church, Wreay, which she designed and built. This church was very special and even seemed to predict the Arts and Crafts Movement that became popular much later. Sara Losh also created other buildings and monuments in the area.
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About Sara Losh's Life
Sadly, many of Sara Losh's personal papers, like her journals and drawings, were lost. However, we know about her life from a book called The Worthies of Cumberland by Henry Lonsdale. This book was published between 1867 and 1875.
Sara Losh was born at Woodside in Wreay, near Carlisle. She was likely born in late 1785, as she was baptized on January 6, 1786. She was the oldest of four children born to John Losh and Isabella (née Bonner). Her father owned land in Woodside. He also had a business partnership with his brother, William Losh, in a factory that made chemicals in Walker on Tyneside. This factory was part of a larger company called Losh, Wilson and Bell.
One of Sara's brothers died young. Another brother had mental disabilities. Because of this, Sara and her sister Katherine became the main heirs to their father's property. Neither sister ever married. When Katherine died in 1835, Sara inherited her sister's share of the family estate. Sara's uncle, James Losh, was a lawyer in Newcastle. He was an important member of the city's Literary and Philosophical Society. He was also friends with famous poets like William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey.
Lonsdale described Sara Losh as a very well-read and educated person. She went to schools in Wreay, London, and Bath. She also traveled in France, Italy, and Germany in 1814 and 1817. Sara could speak French and Italian very well. She could also easily translate Latin. Lonsdale even compared her intelligence to that of the famous writer George Eliot.
Sara Losh passed away at Woodside on March 29, 1853. She was buried in the churchyard of Wreay. She shares a grave there with her sister Katherine.
Sara Losh's Architecture
From the late 1820s onwards, Sara Losh designed, paid for, and built several projects in and around Wreay. For example, in 1835, she built a copy of the ancient Bewcastle Cross to remember her parents. She also built a house for a schoolteacher, inspired by a villa in Pompeii. Sara also dug wells and built schools for the village.
By 1840, the old chapel in Wreay was in bad condition. Sara Losh offered to give the land and pay to build a new church. She asked for complete freedom to design it herself. Permission was given in May 1841.
Design of St Mary's Church
Sara Losh based her church design on an early Christian basilica. This means it had a rectangular main hall (called a nave) without side aisles. It ended in a round, semicircular area called an apse. She called her style "early Saxon" or "modified Lombard". The apse has columns with spaces for 13 seats. The altar is a beautiful slab of Italian marble, supported by brass eagles.
Both the inside and outside of the church are covered with amazing stone carvings. These carvings show natural things like fossils, plants, and animals. Many of these were carved by William Hindson, who was the son of a local builder. Sara and her cousin William even carved the church's font out of alabaster. The detailed work was later compared by Nikolaus Pevsner to the craftsmanship of the arts and crafts movement. The church does not have many traditional Christian symbols, not even a cross. However, many people see the rich decorations as a celebration of nature and creation.
The church cost £1,200 to build and was officially opened in December 1842. Today, it is a Grade II* listed building, which means it is a very important historical building. In the churchyard, there is also a Grade II listed mausoleum. Sara Losh built this in 1850 to remember her sister Katherine.
Sara Losh also worked on fixing up St John the Evangelist's Church, Newton Arlosh.
Images for kids
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St Mary's Church, Wreay
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St Mary's Church, Wreay
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Altar and part of apse
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Replica of the Bewcastle Cross in the churchyard of St Mary's church, Wreay; the mausoleum of Katharine Losh is behind
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Gravestone of Katharine and Sarah Losh at St Mary's church, Wreay
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Mausoleum dedicated to Katharine Losh
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Stone window surround decorated with insects, birds and pinecones at St Mary's, Wreay
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Stone window surround decorated with fossils, plants and pinecones at St Mary's, Wreay
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The main door of St Mary's Church, Wreay
See also
In Spanish: Sara Losh para niños
