Northwick / Norowican

In their entry for Pilning St. Peter's,Verey & Brooks (1999-2002) note: "An additional font, possibly Norman, though retooled, is from St Thomas, Northwick […]. Plain rectangular bowl, the lower corners chamfered." The Pilning & Severn Beach Parish Council, South Gloucestershire, web site [http://www.southglos.gov.uk/hosted/pilningsevernbeachpc/History.htm] [accessed 24 February 2008] informs: "Tradition tells of a Church of St George, built at Northwick at the end of the 11th century. In 1370 it is recorded that the Northwick church was in ruins. Re-dedicated to St Thomas in the 15th century, tithes were paid to the Lord of the Manor of Henbury in the 16th century." [NB: only the tower of old St. Thomas' remains standing at present, but local sources report the Norman font is now at Pilning St. Peter's -- Heather Richards, Secretary of Pilning Church Council, in a communication to Baptisteria Sacra (e-mail of 4 March 2008) writes: "When St. Thomas' Church [i.e., Northwick St. Thomas, Norman] was demolished the font was taken to St. Peter's Church, Pilning. Pilning Church therefore had two fonts until it was requested by the church at Christ Church, Hampstead, where it was taken in 1999"]. Christ Church, Hampstead confirmed the presence of this font in their church with a photograph [received by BSI on 19 March 2008]. The font consists of two trapezoidal volumes, the basin and the lower base, linked by a short truncated conical pedestal; the lower angles of the basin and the upper angles of the lower base have been trimmed with a narrow chamfer, in mirror-like fashion, and both volumes are similar, althouth the lower base has a slightly wider quadrangular addition that may be modern. The basin well is square and lead-lined. There is a large area of the upper basin side that has been repaired with newer stone.