Castle Frome, Herefordshire

Castle Frome's remarkable carved font

The estate of Castle Frome was owned by King Harold before the Norman Conquest. The name 'Frome', which is also found in the nearby villages of Canons Frome and Bishop's Frome, is supposedly derived from the Latin 'formosus', meaning beautiful. Certainly, the little village of Castle Frome seems a peaceful and idyllic spot today.

History

There is evidence of a Roman camp at Camp Coppice, to the east of the parish church. Long after the Romans left, the Camp Coppice site was used by the Normans to erect a simple fortification, which helped give the village its name.

The most interesting historic building in the village is the parish church, dedicated to St Michael's. This simple country church contains a treasure in the shape of an extraordinary Norman font, carved with an astonishingly intricate array of foliage, beasts, and Biblical symbols.

This is, without doubt, one of the finest 12th-century fonts in the country; indeed it is probably one of the greatest Norman works of art of any sort.