Marble Bath
One of the quirkiest bits of St Edmund's Church in Bury St Edmunds was the marble bath which formed the support for the main altar in the Church. The bath was installed in St Edmunds in 1969 by Fr Bryan Houghton, parish priest of the time, just before he left the parish to go and live in France. There are very many stories about the origins of the bath. Most agree that it was in the garden of Fr Houghton's friend and a parishioner, Dr O'Meara. The altar was removed from the Church in 2012 and a new altar will be made from the flat pieces of marble that formed the mensa and the base. Four ornamental columns will also be re-used. The removal of the bath was a major operation requiring pulleys and ropes, the construction of a ramp and temporary staging to move the bath inch by inch to a waiting lorry. The removal of the altar is all part of some restoration work planned for St Edmund's in 2014. The marble bath was sold on 14th September at a fine art auction and realised a hammer price of £3,600, well above the auctioneer's estimate and double the reserve price. This will be a very helpful sum towards the construction and installation of the new altar next year.
Pictures below:
