Alongside our dais installation, we are bringing the font back to the front of the church. The wonderful limestone carvings will be prominent and visible as soon as you walk through the main door into the church. Greig Sivills, of Torus Stonecraft, has taken the font apart piece by piece, cleaned, restored, and reconstructed it in pride of place at the lefthand side of the new dais.
The photos below represent the journey the font and Greig have been through over a 10 day period in July 2024.
Scaffolding and pulleys (and an extra body) were used to separate the font into its four constituent segments. Greig then steam cleaned the limestone and assessed the pieces for restoration.
The scaffold and pulleys were back in operation for the reconstruction on the dais. A hole was bored through the centre of the font and into the dais, allowing a steel rod to be threaded through, thereby anchoring the font in place. Gypsum plaster was poured around the rod to give extra stability. The same plaster, mixed in different proportions, was applied to the top of each section before the next piece was installed; this quick-setting plaster is acting as a cement to glue the segments together.
Before the top section of the font was secured in place, Greig drilled holes in the middle section. Ben collected the limestone dust to be used later in the restoration phase.
The final 350kg section was the most challenging to fit. A minor snag in the shape of a lead pipe (the original drainage channel) obstructing the hole for the steel rod gave a momentary pause for thought, but once this had been removed the installation could continue.
A careful check of the positioning and orientation of the last piece in its sling, some more gypsum plaster, and down the final section came.
The excess gypsum plaster was carefully chipped away. Greig used lime mortar mixed with the limestone dust collected earlier to point the joints and make repairs to the stonework.
A wash for the limestone, then marble wax for the green and purple ornamentations, and the restoration is nearing completion.
The font was re-dedicated by the Bishop of Edinburgh, Rt Revd John Armes, on Sunday 8th September 2024.
