dr catherine ironside was a christ church member who left her life in finchley to serve as a missionary doctor in esfahan, iran. following her death during the asian flu pandemic of 1922, the font cover was carved in her memory, echoing the famous esfahan style. the combination of the star of david on the font (reflecting jesus’ claim to be the jewish messiah) and the persian wood carving underlines the central christian belief that the message of jesus is for all nations. christ church has always been a sender and supporter of missionaries across the world, and is now a notably diverse congregation comprising many nationalities.