Notes on the Architectural Details of St Marylebone Parish Church 3 |
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All the windows on the west side were blown in when a mine damaged the cinema of Madame Tussaud’s; those on the east side were loosened by the blast and had to be removed. The coloured glass border of the present windows is made up from fragments of the original coloured glass. The Chapel of the Holy Family was created at this time, with the Benjamin West picture as its focal point. Vibration, blast and damp caused decay of the ends of the main roof timbers. |
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| In strengthening these the original ceiling was almost destroyed, and the present ceiling is nearly all new. Damage to the weather vane was caused by RAF men retrieving a barrage balloon which had broken loose and had settled on the vane. A joint project with the Royal Academy of Music was established to install a new organ built by the celebrated Austrian firm, Rieger. This is the magnificent instrument in the church today. It is one of the finest organs in the country. The pipes of the original organ are to be seen on the left of the chancel. The fine crystal chandeliers were given to the church in 1968 and came from the Marylebone Council Chamber when the Borough of Marylebone was merged with the City of Westminster. To commemorate the marriage of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, a section of the back of the church was cut off to create the Browning Room and adjacent kitchen area, which are used for meetings and social events. |
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Page 3 |
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For enquiries on the history of St Marylebone Parish Church or genealogy, please contact our Verger who will try to assist |
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