CHURCH FONTS (SHIRE)

Christening was once a crucial rite of passage for every infant in the parish. Standing in the public space of the church, fonts were paid for by the parishioners, and the richness of their decoration was determined by the funds available and the prevailing architectural fashions of the time. This introduction to English fonts explores numerous examples in churches all over the country, highlighting the most notable fonts and explaining their changing design across the centuries.