A set of 300-year-old stained glass windows in one of the city’s great architectural gems are to be protected against further damage. 

Ten windows in Marble Hall, part of Aviva’s Surrey House, will be safeguarded after one of the panes was damaged at the end of 2022, possibly by a bird. 

Aviva now wants to use ‘environmental protective glazing’ (EPG), effectively placing a second window in front of the existing glass to stop future strikes. 

A planning application for the work has been submitted to Norwich City Council. 

Eastern Daily Press: Marble Hall in Norwich has many fascinating features. (Image: Denise Bradley)Marble Hall in Norwich has many fascinating features. (Image: Denise Bradley) (Image: Denise Bradley)

It said EPG is a “tried and tested method” for protection and has been used in many churches and cathedrals, including Canterbury and Ely. 

The damaged pane will be restored. 

While Marble Hall was built in the early 1900s by what was then Norwich Union, the stained glass was made in the 17th century.

Eight of the panels were originally part of old Surrey House, the home of the Earl of Surrey, which previously stood on the site. 

The panels, which are now part of a bay window on the site, were recovered in the late 1950s after being found stored in the summerhouse of a home in Bracondale before being moved to an outhouse in Wroxham.

After being rediscovered they were passed to stained-glass expert Dennis King who restored them and installed them into the bay window in the Marble Hall. 

Following this, two small panes by Henry Gyles of York, which depict the arms of Johannes Franciscus Vigani, were installed to the left of the eight in the bay window. 

The two panes – one of which was damaged by the bird - had previously been in the fan light in the entrance to the current Surrey House, which was designed by renowned Norwich architect George Skipper. 

Vigani, also known as John Francis, was an Italian chemist who became the first professor of chemistry at the University of Cambridge.