Watford nr. London / Watforda

No entry for this Watford found in the Domesday survey. The Victoria County History (Hertfordshire, vol. 2, 1908) notes: "The church of Watford belonged to the abbey of St. Albans and was granted in 1188 for the guests' prebend. […] It was confirmed to the abbey by Henry II, John, Edward IV, and Honorius III. (fn. 6) Abbot Geoffrey (1119–46), who rebuilt the priory of Markyate, granted tithes in Cassio and Watford to that foundation. […] Some pieces of twelfth-century masonry, found during repairs, lie in the vestry at the west end of the north aisle, but no part of the church as it now stands shows detail older than c. 1230. […] The font stands under the tower, and is an elaborate specimen of modern work, with a tall wooden cover"; this is the only font mentioned in the VCH entry. The Architect (issue of October 6, 1883: 209) notes: "When the parish church of St. Mary's, Watford, was restored, in 1869-71, by Mr. John T. Christopher, a new font was erected, the panels being left for future carving. This font has just been completed by the addition of a cover of elaborate design, carved in oak, and suspended by an ornamental chain working with a balance-weight enclosed in a corona, the whole of wrought iron and richly gilt. A kneeling-stool also carved in oak has been fixed to the steps. The font has been surrounded by a brass railing, and the old stone paving round the base has been removed, and encaustic tiles have been substituted. The eight panels in the upper part the font itself have been filled with figure subjects in high relief, emblematic of baptism. The cost of these panels has been borne by individuals interested in the church. The general expenses have been raised by public subscription The sculpture and the cover and kneeling-stool have been executed by Mr Forsyth, of Finchley Road, who carried out the original work to the font." There are two stone fonts in this church now; the old one is relegated to an corner off the nave and no longer in use; it consists of a cylindrical basin decorated with two parallel wavy lines between roll mouldings with dots in the wave spaces; the base is also cylindrical and of two parts, upper and lower, both of them dcorated with a single wavy line similar to the ones on the basin; the font is damaged, especially the lower part; there is round flat cover with metal decoration and ring handle on it; it appears m odern, probably Victorian. The second font is modern [cf. supra] and in use now; it consists of an octagonal basin decorated with panels carved with scenes of the life of Christ between pinkish columns; the base has open-work with a central shaft and an outer arcade eight of trefoiled arches on columns with eight pink marble colonnettes, all of which in Victorian style. Wooden font cover of openwork with tall octagonal pinnacle atop, and a fleuron finial; counterweight mechanism to raise and lower this cover. Pevsner & Cherry (1977) mention in a footnote that "[f]ragments of a Norman font found in the church were re-used for a font at St James, Watford fields (J. Brushe)". This note must refer to the redundant font now located in the Morrison Chapel, back in the restored Church of St. Mary, Watford; the reason for its presence back at St. Mary's is that St. James' was deconsecrated and now being used as a sports hall [cf. Hertfordshire Churches in Photographs [https://hertfordshirechurches.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/st-james-former-watford-fields-watford/] [accessed 5 October 2016]: "A large church of 1912-1914 south of the town centre. The architect was Arthur Durrant. The chancel was extended in 1928 by Martin Travers and Thomas Grant. It was made redundant in 1971 and is now a sports hall for the neighbouring primary school." The West Watford History Group [www.westwatfordhistorygroup.org/churchofstjames.htm] [accessed 5 October 2016] writes: "St James’ Church. This was consecrated in 1913, when a new parish was created. It was originally designed by Arthur Durrant and the 1928 chancel was designed by Martin Travers and Thomas Grant. Regular services ended in 1971 and the building was declared redundant. It was later converted into a sports hall for Watford Fields School and is also used by other local groups as a meeting place and plays host to a Judo Club twice a week." A posting of 15 May 2013 by Stiffleaf in Ipernity [www.ipernity.com/doc/stiffleaf/15249649] [accessed 5 October 2016] shows the redundant font with the following caption: "odd mostly c19 font in a norman style, obviously a spare, as dumped in morrison chapel. it seems that parts of the bottom drums were found built into the tower and are c12. reassembled with legs some of which may be behind in the corner, the font did duty in st.james until that church became redundant, when it came home to lurk in a corner behind jumble." It all appears to indicate that the remains of a late-Norman font were removed from St. Mary's at the time of its 1869-71 restoration; at some soon thereafter, probably when the Church of St. James, those remains were built into a composite font to be installed in the new parish church; when St. James' became redundant in 1971, and later became a sports hall for the nearby elementary school, the composite font was sent to St. Mary's, where it now [October 2016] resides in a corner of the Morrison Chapel.