J.W.Green Swimming Pools Ltd.

Turning your dreams into reality.

Baptisteries

[singlepic id=234 w=450 h=340float=none]

John said “I will baptise thee with water, but he will baptise thee with the holy spirit.”

With the advent of warmer churches, many denominations are returning to full submersion baptism. The font which apparently took over from full baptism is still being retained in many churches for christening services.

Did baptism fade out with our prim Victorians, or was it the freezing cold churches such as the one’s I remember as young lad. One being Christ Church, Whitemore Reans, Woverhampton, which was the church our school was named after. Quite a high Church of England at the time, now sadly long gone and replaced with a Mosque. The other cold church was Saint Andrew’s, Whitemore Reans, later to be extended and reordered as I recall, with the old church hall replaced with a modern heated multi-purpose building.

Today J W Green Swimming Pools Limited are probably one of, or the major installer and supplier of baptisteries to all denominations in the UK. They also refurbish and repair existing baptisteries.

Relining
Many old baptisteries were slate or lead lined, some have been brick lined others rendered and painted. JWG are able to rebuild, reline with screeds, renders and mosaic or in GRP.  (Otherwise known as Glass Fibre or Fibre Glass).

We hold several awards for some of our installations and took the SPATA Gold Award for a cross shaped baptistery in St John’s Village.

Shapes to date have included;
“The Egg of Life” as the name suggests an egg shaped part up-stand baptistery, with a water of life feature to one end, set on Portland stone copings. The internal and external walls set with Italian vitreous mosaic, with walk in steps to one end.
This baptistery is a permanent feature in Our Lady and Saint George’s Church, Walthamstow, London.

Another interesting baptistery was in the form of almost a Maltese Cross with marble copings, steps in and out, murals set to top steps and a mural in the floor depicting the dove of peace, set round with a rainbow and to the four corners of the floor the whip, nails, crown of thornes and the spear head.

Cross shapes, of which we understand there are thirty two recognised cross designs. Rectangles, circles, octagons, curved,in-ground, up stand, set into a stage and planked over when out of use.

The majority of our full submersion baptisteries are custom designed, either in house, in consultation with the client or by architects, with JWG offering a full installation service. Construction is fully reinforced concrete or specialist reinforced blockwork.

Finishes are normally in vitreous mosaic with ceramic bull nose tiles, marble or stone copings to the perimeter. Hand cut mosaic murals are frequently a feature on steps or in the floor.

Features designed into the shell of a baptistery include an Easter candle holder, Water of life feature, A scooped out marble font built into one of the arms of a cross , a ledge for the priest to set a prayer book above water, biblical murals, underwater lighting and walk on glass covers lit from below using LED lighting that will work in and out of water.

Equipment includes pump, filter and inline stainless steel heater. This allows for the water to be filtered for a day or two to give clarity and to allow the water to be brought up to temperature and treated and balanced ready for the baptism service.

Full instruction on all aspects of use, testing and water treatment are given to the church on completion.

Many baptisteries are set into the floor or a stage, with covers fitted when not in use. However several churches and or  architects have designed them as an up stand with a ‘water of life’ feature running permanently.

We offer an in house factory made baptistery in GRP  (Glass Fibre / Fibreglass / Glass Resin Polymer) in any BS RAL colour paste colour. This model has a 100mm flange to the perimeter on three sides with an extended flange at entry point end. Corner steps are an integral part of the moulding. A block-work shell is normally constructed, into which the GRP baptistery is positioned with the flange sitting on the block-work.

The filter, pump and heater can be plumbed into a cellar, crypt, cupboard or small plant-room.

Repair / Service
We offer a repair and service on any specialist water equipment, if your looking to upgrade or just the price for a new pump / part contact us for a no obligation quote.