Heritage

During the Second World War, Marylebone was heavily bombed and the spectacular stained-glass windows were blown out. Thankfully, the surviving fragments of these windows were salvaged to comprise the borders of the repaired windows, weaving this social historical evidence of the war into the life of the parish church today and providing a testament to the resilience of St Marylebone and its community.

Wartime bombs (probably mostly in 1940-41) destroyed all the stained glass windows of the church and rendered the church unsafe for a time it was closed for five years until it had been properly restored. In 1942, a new rector, Archdeacon Hugh Matthews was appointed, who was later able to oversee the restoration of the church. The empty windows were glazed with plain glass with fragments of stained glass, lovingly preserved, used to make coloured borders. This work was executed by William Morris (Westminster) & Co. Windows in the apse were bricked up.

The original windows from the 1880s were by Campbell, Smith and Campbell – a local St Marylebone firm (founded in 1873) that worked throughout the UK. They still exist today as Campbell Smith & Co.

St Marylebone Air Raid Window

There is a memorial window in the Parish Church to commemorate civilian losses in air raids during the Second World War.