Alarm as font sale gets Church's blessing

The Parochial Church Council of St Peter’s Church Draycott, Somerset, sought permission to sell the richly-carved Romanesque font, which was designed by William Burges, architect of iconic buildings such as Cardiff Castle and Cork Cathedral, after they were approached by a private collector. Citing the need for money for repairs to the listed building and ongoing development work, they proposed replacing the font, which is generally acknowledged to be the church’s greatest artistic asset, with a replica. Objections were raised by the Victorian Society, the Council for the Care of Churches and the Diocesan Advisory Committee, yet the Chancellor of the Diocese of Bath and Wells ruled that the sale should be allowed, on the condition that the font be offered first to public collections and museums before being put up for private sale.

‘This is very alarming,’ said David Garrard, Historic Churches Adviser of the Victorian Society. ‘The Burges font is an integral part of St Peter’s Church. It is mentioned in the building’s list description and, as such, should be considered one of the key features that give St Peter’s its national interest and significance. The idea that part of a listed building can be bartered off in this way could put many of our best buildings in danger if followed to extremes.’

The Victorian Society is also concerned that the sale of the font may put the long-term future of St Peter’s Church in doubt by making it less eligible for maintenance grants.

‘The loss of the Burges font will greatly compromise the historical and artistic interest of St Peter’s Church,’ continued Mr Garrard. ‘What’s more, while it may alleviate the parish’s financial problems in the short-term, it will make the building less eligible for heritage grants, narrowing the sources of potential funding once the money from the sale has been spent.’