Chester volunteers and museum unite to rescue historic church font
A font has been rescued from St Andrews Church in Handbridge, Chester, by a team of volunteers and Cheshire Military Museum.
Commercial property consultant, Kenneymoore, was instructed to sell and clear a former freehold church.
Whilst clearing the church the team discovered a font with a note inside.
Tim Kenney, director at Kenneymoore, said: "The rest of the Church had been carefully stripped of anything worth keeping, but this piece of extremely heavy sandstone had obviously defied earlier attempts to relocate it.
"There was a time when just doing the right thing was simply a default setting.
"At Kenneymoore we have always tried to do just that. So we reached out to Cheshire Military Museum."
Mike Huntriss, Vice Chair of Friends of Cheshire Military Museum, got involved and quickly spotted the font's removal was not a simple task.
Operation Font Rescue was initiated, with friends at the museum and the Queen's Own Yeomanry called up to support the complex relocation.
Geoff Crump BEM, museum and regimental researcher at Cheshire Military Museum, had originally seen the font in St Andrews Church a few years back.
On his visit he was also asked to provide the church with details regarding the men named on both memorials.
There were two war memorials in the church, one from St Andrews at the back of Chester Precinct, which closed in the 1980s, and St Andrews church in Handbridge, which already had its own war memorial.
The one from St Andrews in the city was removed and placed alongside the one in Handbridge.
When the latter church closed, Cheshire Military Museum received the memorials.
He added: "There was also a Lectern which was dedicated to four members of St Andrews, Handbridge, who had died during WW2.
"Also in the church was a baptismal font dedicated to one of the above, purchased by his mother for the Church."
He hadn't thought it possible to remove the font from the church, given its weight, so he removed a large hexagonal oak top with a brass plaque.
Upon recording the details of the lady's son, he brought it to the museum.
Geoff added: "I had a slight hope that we may get the font somehow.
"The lady who had looked after the church for many years had been concerned about what would happen to the memorials. I explained the difficulties due to weight with the font and she understood.
"She therefore let me take the original oak lid."
Before leaving the church, Geoff took a gamble, writing a quick note and leaving it in the font.
He said: "I had a slight hope that we may get the Font somehow, if the future owner was willing to donate it to us."
He wrote asking if the font could be donated to the museum, with no hope or expectation of this wish being granted.
Mike Huntriss, vice chair of Friends of Cheshire Military Museum, thanked everyone involved.
He said: "A massive thank you for all help to make Operation Font Rescue a resounding success.
"If it had not been moved the alternative was a skip for this significant commemoration to Handbridge life."
Tim Kenney added: "It is a brilliant example of Chester working together to save this important piece of history from the skip."
The names of the four men on the brass plaque set into the face of the lectern at St Andrews, Handbridge, are as followed.
Chester Billingsley, Parachute Regiment, Army Air Corps, who died 28 March 1943, aged 19.
Morgan Ensor Billingsley, H.M. Submarine Turbulent, who died 23 March 1943.
Frank Robert Henry Fox, H.M.S. Intrepid, who died 26 September 1943, aged 24.
Alfred Ledsham Fieldstead, Royal Army Service Corps, who died 29 May 1940, aged 25.
The Museum is open from 11am to 4pm, Thursday to Sunday and is currently seeking volunteers who have a few hours a week spare. More information can be found here.
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