Baptismal Font - Church of St.Nicholas, Church Street, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, NR23 1EQ - Stone Church Artefacts on Waymarking.com

Wells-next-the-Sea is mentioned several times in the Domesday book of 1086, by which time it was clearly already a substantial place, but no church was mentioned. In 1202 Ramsey abbey obtained a charter allowing it to expand the port, but the church stands a little way outside the early C13th planned town by the harbour, and was certainly already well established by the early C13th.

The Grade II* listed church is dedicated to St.Nicholas and is Perpendicular in origin, but was badly damaged in a fire in 1879 and almost wholly rebuilt to designs of Herbert Green the diocesan architect. There is no fabric surviving from pre-Perpendicular times but the tower is C15th and from this and some other surviving C15th fragments the Medieval church was substantial and well detailed. The extent to which Green's post-fire restoration replicated what was there is not clear, but loose fragments in the church, which are more complex in their detailing than Green's work, suggest that he considerably simplified the architecture in many places. The cost of the work was £7,000 and the church was re-dedicated in 1883. An additional £2,000 was spent in 1887 on the organ, the pews, the bells and completing the south porch. The north-west vestry was added in 1966.

Only a few fittings survived the fire; a few loose architectural fragments, notably several bases of pillars; a small brass plate above the north chancel door to Thomas Bradley, rector 1446-99; an excellent late C15th or early C16th door in the chancel, with blind tracery, slightly charred in places; A very fine and large C16th brass eagle lectern; and a chest dated 1637. Otherwise the fittings are late C19th; the font; nave benches with carved, shaped ends and good poppy heads in a range of patterns; and C19th encaustic tiles with geometric patterns in the chancel.

The C19th font is octagonal with quatrefoils on the bowl each with a shield and different Christian symbols including a cross, the crown of thorns, a dove, etc., and has a crocketed rim. Above the stem are angels at each corner, the stem with tracery panels, each with nodding ogees, and corner finials, mounted on a two-step plinth with rearward (westward) extension. It has a blue and gold painted timber cover with scroll-work cross and mitre on top. The font is placed at the western end of the nave in front of the tower arch.

Words from British Listed Buildings and Pevsner's Norfolk 1 Buildings with amendments from own on site observations.

Coordinates are for the south porch entrance.

Approximate Age of Artefact: late C19th in Perpendicular style. Relevant Website: Not listed

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