Hoar Cross

Noted and illustrated in Fisher (2006). Baptismal font in the Gothic Revival style; together with the church in which stands, the Church of the Holy Angels, in Hoar Cross, it was designed by architect George Frederick Bodley (1827-1907). The font is made of stone and consists of an octagonal basin the panels of which are decorated with a varaiety of motifs and symbols, every other panel shield-shaped; octagonal stem with pronounced buttresses. Tall cover of two volumes: the lower volume is octagonal and cabinet-like, a take on the rim-buffet covers identified in Bond (1908); the upper volume however has all the complexity of Gothic open-work seen in the classical covers of the 16th century in England, complete with the colour paint and gilding. A 2004 photograph by Alf Beard of the octagonal font and the splendid cover can be found in the GENUKI web site [www.wishful-thinking.co.uk/genuki/STS/HoarCross/HolyAngels4.html] [accessed 5 December 2006]. [NB: though well outside the scope of this Index on account of its late date, this font and cover are noted here as examples of font-making following the old tradition]