The stone font is thought pre-date the existing Abbey building.  The fine timber cover is 15thC, and is reported to have been saved from the 1906 fire by a police sergeant’s quick thinking.

The font consists of a simple magnesian limestone bowl, deep enough to immerse an infant, and presently lined with elderly lead. The internal sides of the bowl are almost straight, as is the base.

The project comes from a desire to increase the liturgical and architectural prominence of the font, but also to address some basic practical matters: the font is in an awkward position which makes it both difficult to access and use.  The cover support mechanism is a counterbalance that comprises a chunk of stone on the end of a cable balancing with the timber cover.

We are due to re-order the font to a more prominent position, conserve the cover and re-hang the fine cover.