The Old Font

The original medieval church in Heslington was demolished in 1857, and the next year a new church in Victoria gothic style was built in memory of Yarbugh Yarburgh by his mother, Alicia Lloyd and brother George, who had now inherited the Heslington Estate, and then changed his name to Yarburgh. The church included an octagonal font made of Caen stone. 

When the church was enlarged and re- ordered in 1973, the old font did not fit with the brutalist style of the extended church, and so was moved outside, north of the old chancel. In 1986, the church was listed grade II as an outstanding example of modifying a Victorian estate church for modern worship and community use. The font was separately listed grade II (#1148528). It was described as in gothic style: waterholding base surmounted by group of four columns with stiff-leaf foliage, supporting octagonal font with sunk quatrefoils and foliate bands; included for group value. 

Over the years, the stone was found to be weathering badly, and becoming cracked and damaged. On the advice of our architect, it was brought into the church to prevent further damage, with a view to conservation as a museum piece. In the process of removal, it was discovered that the font had been damaged when it was moved outside, and badly repaired, with a stainless steel rod running through the entire piece and into a cement block below ground. The lower section was no longer sound enough to support the font basin. It was thought that conservation would no longer be practical financially, aesthetically or historically. It was decided to bury the font near where it had formerly stood. A stone plaque now marks the place where it is buried.