One of the tiles on the baptistry floor Candle stand Pashal candle A stone corbel Model of the church

The baptistry is at the bottom of the bell tower, with the entrance to the tower in the far corner, and surrounds the baptismal font near the former main entrance in the south porch. Originally, on arriving in the church people had to pass the place of baptism, where their journey with Christ as members of his Church began.

Baptism is the religious rite which welcomes someone as a member into the Christian Church. It is the sign that someone belongs to Christ and that is why baptism is also known as christening. To find out about this read the page Baptism.

Three of the baptistry windows depict the scene of Jesus being presented in the Temple at Candlemas. Two of the windows show 'A' for alpha and 'O' for omega and the other two show 'I am the Good Shepherd' and 'I am the Light of the World'. To see these windows look at the images page The Baptistry Stained Glass Windows.

There is a carefully laid out pattern of tiles on the baptistry floor, one tile of which is shown above. To see the others look at the images page Tilework. The pashal candle on its stand is kept in the baptistry. The stand is made of wood and has four tapered ribs and a circular capping. There are two corbels, stones jutting out of a wall to carry heavy weights, at the baptistry entrance. A model of the church made by E. E. Bryant in October 1937 is kept in the baptistry. For all these see the pictures above.

The font's wooden cover

The portable font

The Font
The word font comes from the word fontare meaning fountain and is essentially a bowl for water. The main font in St. James's is a large octagonal (eight-sided) bowl-shaped stone which is made of portland stone with marbel decorated outer columns. It holds the water used in baptism which has been sanctified (made holy) by the priest. The number eight and the octagon represent the resurrection and rebirth in Christian symbolism. This is because Christ rose from the grave eight days after his entry into Jerusalem, so the eight sides became symbols of baptism, the spiritual rebirth of a person. St. James's font has a brass plaque on the east side of the base which is inscribed "In memory of Sir Henry George Ward GCMG father of Alice Ward, Governor of Madras died August 2nd 1860." It has an oak cover with a devorative cross.

When a baptism takes place in the nave, a smaller, wooden font is used at the front of the church. This portable font has a wooden base which supports a copper font. The base is inscribed "Let the children come to me. In memory of Vivienne Prenitice, 1898 - 1995."

Often fonts are decorated in a way to draw out the meaning for people of aspects of Christian faith especially relevant to baptism. Four sides of St James's font have symbols which represent the four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They contain the good news of Jesus which a baptised person has heard. They are the four 'living creatures' who surround God's throne and come from the prophecies of Ezekiel 1.4, and Revelation 4.2, which became associated with the evangelists. Each of the symbols is depicted with wings following the biblical sources. These symbols were developed as a way of helping people to remember the different Gospels and the perspectives that they took, especially at a time when many people could not read.

• The image of a man or angel represents the Gospel of St. Matthew and signifies Christ's human nature.
• The lion represents the Gospel of St. Mark and is a traditional symbol of royalty and power, and therefore denotes Christ the King.
• The ox or calf, the sacrificial victim, represents the Gospel of St. Luke and highlights the priestly character of Christ's mission.
• The eagle stands for the Gospel of St. John, the evangelist 'who soars to the heavens', because his theology is much more developed than the three Synoptic Gospels. Just as an eagle soars above the earth, so John's theology soars above the other Gospels.

The other four sides all have symbols which point to a name or title of Jesus, directing people towards Jesus and his identity.
• A and O - Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In the Book of Revelation Jesus is referred to as the alpha and omega, beginning and end, first and last.
• IHC/IHS - the first three letters of the Greek for Jesus (Iota, eta, sigma).
• XP - the Greek letters 'chi' and 'rho', the first two letters of the Greek for Christ. The two letters are superimposed on one another and this was a Christian symbol from the 3rd century onwards.
• The Star of David - a reminder of the Jewish heritage of Jesus, who is referred to in the Gospels as 'Son of David.'
Or • A Double Trinity Star showing that God is triune (three-in-one) - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (A second possible interpretation)

A Winged Man St. Matthew A Winged Lion St. Mark A Winged Ox St. Luke An Eagle St. John

Alpha and Omega IHC Jesus Christ XP Jesus Christ The Star of David

Historical Background to the Baptistry
The Parish Magazine of 1888 January reported: "The first instalment of our additions to the Church has left the builder’s hands, and we have to record the opening of the Baptistery beneath the new Tower, on Christmas Eve. After the usual Christmas Eve service, the clergy and choir proceeded to the Baptistery. Standing round the Font a short service was held, including the 127th Psalm, and the following collect specially compiled for the occasion. 'Almighty and Everlasting God, mercifully be pleased to bless this Baptistery which we have built in the Name and strength of Him Who is the tried and precious Stone; visit it, we beseech Thee, with Thy merciful loving kindness; cleanse it by Thy grace from all pollution, and keep it ever pure; bless those who shall here be admitted through the holy waters of baptism into the fold of Thy Church; and may all who witness baptisms here, be stirred up to a more worthy fulfilment of their own baptismal vow. We ask all in the Name and for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.' The procession then left the Baptistery, singing the 242nd Hymn, 'We love the place, 0 God'."