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Old
Baptistry
The baptistry is to be found
in a small room between the sanctuary and the Lady Chapel. It provides
an alternative entrance and exit to the church but is rarely used for either
this purpose or for baptisms. The confined space means that only
limited numbers of family and friends would be able to view the ceremony.
Today baptisms take place using a new font, introduced in 2001, adjacent
to the entrance to the sacristy.
Until the redecorations of
1957, the Baptistry was a confessional and the back wall was non existent.
Instead the priest would sit behind his screen with his back to the iron
spiral staircase leading down into the church rooms and up into the nun's
gallery. The resulting drafts and discomfort led to Monsignor Thompson
replacing the confessional with two in the Lady Chapel.
In the early days of the
church the baptistry, like the sacristy and the sanctuary itself, formed
part of the church presbytery and the church building itself was much smaller.
Within the baptistry can
be found:
The
Stone Font |
