Shrewsbury Church gets new hand-crafted font after 182 years
After 182 years, St George's Church in Frankwell, Shrewsbury, has commissioned a new font for baptisms.
The old stone font was disintegrating and was no longer safe to use and instead of replacing it with another stone or 'off the peg' font, the church took the brave step of having a new, hand-crafted, bespoke font designed.
The new font, created by master-craftsmen Jamie Hubbard and Martin Andrews, can be moved into the centre of the church for baptisms. The project has taken three years and the church held a thorough consultation, which included getting ideas from the local school.
The glass bowl has been hand-blown with waves of cobalt blue weaving through clear glass by glass artist Martin Andrews. The base, involving clever engineering techniques was completed in American white oak by master carpenter, Jamie Hubbard. Both craftsmen work from the Ruskin Glass Centre in Stourbridge, a national centre of excellence for glass and crafts.
On Sunday, 20 December a special service was held at St George’s to thank everyone who had fundraised and donated several thousand pounds to commission the unique font. The Archdeacon of Salop, the Venerable Paul Thomas was in attendance to dedicate the font and Shrewsbury Town Crier, Martin Wood officially proclaimed its arrival.
Rev Murray McBride said: "This is a very auspicious day in the life of St George's. We really want to say a big thank you to everyone involved and especially the two master craftsmen for all their hard work. Many generations of children and adults will be baptised in this new font.
“The new font is unique to the area and I really think it's a thing of beauty. It's not just beautiful, it's strong. I'm already looking forward to baptising people in the new font. I will be baptising Catherine and Jack Buckley's baby in April, a couple I married here two years ago, their unborn baby is here today to see the dedication!"
The Archdeacon poured water into the font for the first time and offered a renewal of the baptism vows. He dipped a sprig of rosemary into it and used it to sprinkle the congregation and himself with the water.
Glass Artist Martin Andrews, from Worcestershire, said: "I love the unity of how it's all come together. This is the first time I have seen it in its entirety today. It's fantastic to think it will be here for 50 years plus."
Jamie Hubbard, from Bromsgrove, cabinet maker, made the stand and said: "I love it. It's 30 years since I last made a piece of church furniture, which is actually what I started out doing in my career. Items like this make a big difference to a church and everyone gets to see them."
