Walsham-le-Willows

Parker (1855) reports a fine octagonal font in this church. Noted in Cautley (1982) as a baptismal font of the 14th century; fonts of this type in the county at Brettenham, Buxhall and Chelsworth, as well as the best fonts of the period at Hemingstone, Kessingland, Wortham, Wickham Market and Rattesden. The octagonal basin has crocketed cinquefoil arch-heads on the lower basin sides, the crockets reaching all the way to below the rim; the spandrels have floral motifs; the upper rim has a flat moulding; below this moulding is a band that includes the upper crockets of the arch-heads, as well as tiny grotesque animal heads, two per side; the angles of the basin have crocketed buttresses; there are large heads at the angles of the underbowl, too damaged for identification although one appears to have a bishop's mitre' in between the heads the underbowl chamfer has graded mouldings; the octagonal base has pairs of trefoiled arches, with buttresses at the angles; the lower base is moulded.