Wreay
| Wreay | |
|---|---|
 St. Mary's Church, Wreay |
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 Wreay
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| Wreay shown within Cumbria | |
| OS grid reference | NY434489 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CARLISLE |
| Postcode district | CA4 |
| Dialling code | 016974 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Wreay (/ˈriːə/ REE-ə) is a small village in Cumbria, incorporated in 1934 into the Carlisle parish of St Cuthbert Without. It lies on the River Petteril. The M6 motorway, A6 trunk road and West Coast Main Line railway all skirt the village.
Wreay is noted for St Mary's Church, an adjacent mausoleum, and a copy of the 7th-century Bewcastle Cross.
The church, designed and built in basilica form in 1840–42 by the local landowner Sara or Sarah Losh, exhibits an original style which she called "early Saxon or modified Lombard". It makes striking use of carved plant and animal motifs. As the church website points out, "St Mary's embodies many of the attributes of the Arts and Crafts Movement and yet predates it by some 50 years." The carvings embody symbolism that "refers to death, rebirth and eternity, drawing upon Christian, pagan and personal references. It is a Grade II* listed building. The church replaced a small medieval chapel on a different site, which had become dilapidated by the 1830s. Recent repairs and restoration of the church have involved relaying sandstone roof slabs, internal redecoration, installation of a new heating and lighting system and the construction of a new vestry. The church received a private visit from HRH Prince Charles in 2009.
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