As part of a larger scheme of re-ordering at the west end of this Grade II* church, the petitioners sought permission for the introduction of a portable font designed by a parishioner. The original mediaeval font had been broken and replaced with a then contemporary font in the early twentieth century. Initially it had been proposed that this font would stand in the middle of the east–west axis of the re-ordered church, but safety concerns with the strength of the floor led to the proposal for the portable font. It had the support of the incumbent and the Parochial Church Council but not the Diocesan Advisory Committee, the Church Buildings Council or the Victorian Society. The chancellor was in principle agreeable to the introduction of a portable font but had reservations about the design, which he expressed in a response to written submissions. His reservations included the fact that the font was heavy and on castors without a braking system, posing a significant safety risk, and he queried the aesthetics of the design given its low height, suggesting that ‘it looks more like a toilet than a font’. The petitioners sought an oral hearing, which the chancellor referred to his deputy.

The deputy chancellor heard evidence from the incumbent and archdeacon and viewed the font in situ, noting that the concerns about safety and height had been addressed. Despite reservations about the design of the portable font, the deputy chancellor granted the faculty, accepting evidence from the archdeacon and incumbent that the design had sufficient symbolic weight for baptism. The faculty was granted on the basis that the portable font be stored against the wall of the church when unused.

The chancellor expressed concern about the fact that the parish had proceeded to remove the old font and used the portable one before the faculty was granted. Leaving the old font in the churchyard to use as a planter was not acceptable, despite the evidence of the incumbent and archdeacon in support of that plan. The old font would be removed to the diocesan store with a view to returning it to the church as part of its history or finding a home in a different church. Destruction and burial of a font should be a last resort. [Catherine Shelley]