The fonts of English churches are usually made of stone, sometimes with a lead lining to the bowl. However, in the eighteenth century wood gained a little popularity and the wood carver's art was turned to the embellishment of these baptismal objects. Today's photograph shows a detail of the carved bowl of the wooden font in St Mary Magdalene, near Croome Court in Worcestershire. The church is in the "Gothick" style i.e. a self-conscious eighteenth century re-working of Gothic at a time when the classical style was ascendant. It was built in 1763 and there is no reason to believe that the font doesn't date from that time.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10
