Font bowl from above

Image of the feature "V. Furnishings: 1. Fonts: Font" at Cameley.

by Robin Downes.

Rather encumbered by relatively late wooden fittings and furniture, the font sits fairly centrally at the back of the nave, just forward of the tower arch. It is of the shape, so common in this region, of a Romanesque scalloped capital, producing a near-square top profile. Between the heavy large bowl and the relatively short stem there is a band of cable. Of the simplest conventional design — torus-scotia-torus above bottom rectangle, the upper torus forming the necking at the bottom of the stem —, the base sits on a fine plinth (which, unusually, looks original) of very generous dimensions (although shallow). Good lead, which looks newish, is brought up and across the rim. From the E the bowl looks in good condition, but an inspection at N and W reveals serious latitudinal cracks which have been mortared over.

Dimensions

1

Depth of basin	0.29m
Height of bowl	0.36m
Height of font	0.88m
Height of stem (including cable at top)	0.23m

2

Circumference of stem	1.36m
External dimensions of bowl	0.645m x 0.65m
Internal dimensions of bowl	0.46m x 0.475m