A 12th-century Norman font, once described as “like something out of an Arthurian legend”, travelled from Shropshire to Scotland while the King was at school there in the 1960s.
Prince Philip orchestrated the font’s relocation to Gordonstoun School in Moray when Charles began his studies there in 1962. His intention was for the young prince to be “surrounded by ancient objects of English beauty”.
The so-called “Gordonstoun font”, a distinctive Norman tub font with ornate carvings round its outside and a lead-lined interior, stood in the school’s chapel for several years. It has since been returned to its original home at St Michael’s Church in Upton Cressett, Shropshire, where it remains today.
One of the object’s current custodians recently recounted its unusual journey north of the border, and of how Philip saved it from obscurity.
The Duke of Edinburgh had spotted it while visiting St Michael’s in the 1960s with former MP Ivor Bulmer-Thomas, who had been working with him on a scheme to protect unused historic church buildings.
open image in gallerySt Michael’s had fallen out of use in 1958 and was in a “terrible state”, and had been selected as an example to show Philip of a dilapidated country church in need of rescue.
Mr Bulmer-Lewis went on to set up the Redundant Churches Fund, which later became the Churches Conservation Trust, of which Charles is now the patron.
William Cash’s parents moved to Upton Cressett estate, where the grade one listed church is located, in the 1970s.
He said that when Philip visited St Michael’s the building was locked and its contents, including the font, were due to be put into storage.
He said: “They went to see it, and Prince Philip apparently said (of the font), ‘I think that would be really good if it was moved to Gordonstoun, because I want my son to be surrounded by ancient objects of English beauty’.
“I think Philip thought, ‘What a waste to have it just sitting in a storage unit’.
“It’s quite large – how they got it up to Gordonstoun I really do not know. This is a strange story that to this day most people don’t know about.”
open image in galleryThe font stood in the modern school chapel during Charles’s time there before being returned to Upton Cressett in the 1970s.
Although St Michael’s no longer holds regular services, the font is still occasionally used, with Mr Cash saying he and other members of his family were baptised with it.
He said visitors to the church today are “flabbergasted” when they learn of the font’s royal connections, due to it being tucked away “in the middle of nowhere in Shropshire”.
“Frankly, they find it almost impossible to believe that this font has moved so many hundreds of miles for the King’s aesthetic benefit,” he said.
He added: “It always feels like something out of an Arthurian legend, like this was a font that was fit for a king, a Norman font with roots going back pretty much to the age of William the Conqueror.”
Steve Tarling, a community officer at the Churches Conservation Trust, which now looks after St Michael’s, described the church as “a really lovely, picturesque, almost ‘fairy tale’ chapel”.
He continued: “You could imagine someone out of the Brothers Grimm having a wedding in there – it’s an understated little chapel, but a nice little oasis of calm in what is quite beautiful countryside.”
He said he had the impression it had been an “honour” for the local community that Philip had chosen their font to accompany his son, but that they were “grateful” it had been returned.
“I think it would just miss something there without it.
“I think it completes the picture,” he said.
“It’s like the cherry on top of the cake.”