The Baptistery

Heading   back   towards   the   West   door,   we   come   to the   Baptistery,   a   spacious   area   under   the   Tower   and suggested   by   the   great   piers   bearing   the   weight   of the structure above it. The   Font,   sitting   on   three   marble   steps,   is   thought to    date    from    1895;    though    it    appears    to    be    an amalgamation    of    an    earlier    pedestal,    with    a    later bowl which matches the steps.  The     Font     is     where     people     are     baptized      into membership of the Church. The     cover     was     rescued     from     Saint     Cuthbert's Church.          The     six     Requiem     Candlesticks     were designed   by   Canon   David   Hinge   and   executed   by Arthur Barnaby.  Behind   the   Font,   covered   by   a   purple   curtain,   is   the Aumbry   for   the   Holy   Oils.      This   was   re-sited   from the   Sacrament   Chapel   when   the   chapel   was   restored in 2011. The   tower   houses   a   ring   of   eight   bells   thought   to   be the   seventh   heaviest   eight   in   the   world   (tenor:   31cwt +   in   D b ).      They   proved   too   heavy   for   the   fabric   and were   lowered   a   level   in   the   1990s   to   reduce   the   forces   on the tower. The Nave As   we   look   Eastward   from   the   Baptistery,   we   are   offered a   grand   perspective   of   the   building.      If   we   look   upward we can see the fine roof peppered with bosses.