provide a level foundation for the building. A contemporary account noted that "The interior finish affords an outstanding example of the craft of cement rendering. All walls have been given three coats, using water-repellent cement, the final coat being in a cream cement mixture. The surfaces of the piers and walls have been scored with a piece of pointed wood to give the effect of masonry. Mica was incorporated in the final coat, the surface being left in a roughened state". Interior features: None of the current fittings are associated with Pugin and following the completion of the abbey church, the community embraced a more modern approach to liturgical design, with contributions from several noted twentieth-century designers and craftsmen. The altar is of the same stone as the church and designed by David John. The altar top is of Clipsham stone from Rutland. David John is an accomplished liturgical designer and sculptor whose other works include the statue of Our Lady in bronze at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and the altar, tabernacle and lectern in the English College Chapel in Rome. The hanging pyx in which the Sacrament of the Body of Christ is reserved is of stainless steel and copper and was designed and made by Father Alban Buggins. The wooden crucifix and the stone plaques over the side altars are the work of Father Francis O'Malley. O'Malley was a follower of Eric Gill and the first headmaster of Grace Dieu Manor School, a preparatory school for Ratcliffe College founded in 1933. In the central boss of the church, above the central altar, are three heraldic shields marking the dedication, one of the few features of decoration. The arms are those of Pius XI, the reigning pope at the completion of the church, the shield of Citeaux, and that of Mount St Bernard/Abbot Malachy. The arms assumed for Mount St Bernard are: Or, a crozier in pale, with a sudarium sable; on a chief azure, three lions rampant or - the latter being the arms of the founder, De Lisle. The Choir stalls of 1938 were designed by Eric Gill and are ninety-eight in number. In 1958, these were provided with high backs to enhance acoustics. The tomb of the founder, Ambrose Phillipps de Lisle, can be found in the south aisle of the original (western) nave. His remains were interred in a vault beneath the altar of St Stephen