London No. 95 / Southwark

In his description of the south aisle of this church, Worley (1905) writes: "Above the Early English arcading the westernmost bay contains a window commemorating St. Paulinus [...] This extreme bay of the aisle constitutes the Baptistery [...] The Font stands below this window in its proper place near the entrance [...] The new font, in the old position, was presented by Mrs. Barrow in memory of her husband, and designed by Mr. G.F. Bodley. It is made of Verde di Prato marble, octagonal in shape, and rests upon a circular base surrounded by detached pillars, all of the same material. The faces of the octagon are concave, and without decoration, except that towards the east, which displays a star in a sunk gilded panel." Noted and illustrated in the Cathedral's website [http://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/visit/area-1] [accessed 9 June 2010], which notes of the church: "there has been a church on this site since AD 606. There may well have been a church here even earlier. Southwark Cathedral is the oldest cathedral church building in London". Worley (ibid.) reports a second font in the retro-choir, or Lady Chapel, of this church: "In the south-west corner there is a small Gothic font. It was presented by Mr. Charles Harris (Member for Southwark) in 1860, who is himself commemorated in a tablet beneath the Jesse window in the south transept. The font is still used for baptisms, the present Lady Chapel being also the parish church." [NB: we have no information on the medieval font(s) of this church]