The Building
Architectural Details
Heritage
The Marylebone Madonna Window
This was installed in 1955 as part of post-war damage work to the parish church. The window is the first window on the liturgical south (geographically west) side of the ground floor of the nave. It was designed by Lawrence Stanley Lee (18 September 1909 – 25 April 2011). He was a British stained glass artist whose work spanned the latter half of the 20th century. Learn more below.
The Marylebone Madonna Window
The Stained Glass Windows
The original stained-glass windows of the parish church were sadly destroyed during the Second World War. Thankfully, the surviving fragments of these windows were salvaged and used to create the borders of the restored windows, interweaving this chapter of history into the architectural fabric of the church building and providing a testament to the resilience of the parish church and its community.
There is also a memorial window in the parish church to commemorate the civilian losses in the air raids during the Second World War.
The Bells
St Marylebone has just three bells used to strike the quarter hours. The bells were installed in the belfry in 1817 in readiness for the new parish church’s consecration in February 1817. The largest bell weighs 3 cwt. Learn more below.
The Bells
Cleaning Britain's Treasures
In the video linked below, conservation engineer, Samuel Wilson and his team clean the dirt and grime from St Marylebone’s delicate, hand-carved, two-hundred-year-old neo-classical stonework. And they think some of the dirt may date back from the time Charles Dickens was a local parishioner!
Watch here
The Apse
The apsidal ceiling painting of Christ in Glory is by John Crompton. The central mosaic above the altar depicts the Crucifixion. The ceiling is said to be one of the most beautiful plaster ceilings in any parish church in the UK, and has been described as ‘God’s Drawing Room’. Contemporary artist Sophie Hacker was recently commissioned to create a piece of art to replace the worn painting in the lunette.
The Apse