The Lectern and Font

Lectern

The Lectern was gifted to the Church in 1897, to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. During services, the Bible is placed on the outstretched wings of the eagle, which, soaring higher than other birds, is symbolic of the movement of people’s thoughts heavenward.

The Font Table was commissioned by the Kirk Session to celebrate the new millennium and was dedicated on Advent Sunday, 1998. It is the work of Denys Mitchell of Kelso.

Cradled beneath the table is what is considered part of a pre-reformation font, probably its pedestal. It is beautifully carved round the side with what are elongated lancet windows.

For baptisms, the bronze plate is removed from the glass table top and the silver basin inserted instead with the laver beside it. During Advent, a candle stand of forged iron and bronze is placed on top. Its detail matches that of the stone.

This blending of the ancient and modern is symbolic of the continuity of Christian worship in Peebles over the centuries.