The Mayor of Dudley today received a privileged first look at the restored Churchill Memorial Screen at Stourbridge Glass Museum. 

The huge glass screen featuring the former prime minister once took pride of place in Dudley’s Churchill shopping centre, but was taken down decades ago as it needed significant restoration.

One of the panels from this much loved piece of Black Country history is set to be unveiled to the public for the first time in over 30 years. Stourbridge Glass Museum will be unveiling a conserved panel from the legendary Churchill Memorial Screen to its members and volunteers on Thursday 20 November 2025 at 11am. The event will feature a ceremonial ‘switch-on’ of the panel’s new, state-of-the-art backlit housing unit, allowing visitors to experience the artwork as it was originally intended- ablaze with colour and light

A major new permanent exhibition telling the screen’s extraordinary story won’t open to the public until April 2026 and the Mayor of Dudley was privileged to receive a sneak peek of the panel at an advance showing today.

Created in 1969 by renowned artist Edward Bainbridge Copnall, the Churchill Screen was a breathtaking 40-foot-long appliqué glass mosaic celebrating the life of Sir Winston Churchill. Weighing five and a half tonnes and consisting of 17 panels, it was a technical and artistic masterpiece, integrated into the architecture of the Churchill Precinct by Borough Architect John T. Lewis.

“The screen was a symbol of post-war ambition and civic pride,” said Alexander Goodger, Director of Stourbridge Glass Museum. “It was part of the fabric of Dudley, a backdrop to countless shopping trips and meetings. To finally bring a section of it back into public view, preserved for future generations, is a huge honour. We are fundraising to get another panel conserved for the Churchill Shopping Centre- if they fancy one! Contact us to donate towards the fundraising efforts.”

The Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Pete Lee, said, “I’m really grateful to Stourbridge Glass Museum for setting up this advance viewing. I know so many people remember the screen from back in the day, but the sheer scale of it is just remarkable. Seeing this one restored panel for the first time in 30 years was remarkable.

“The team have done an amazing job in sourcing the funding and getting specialist restoration work done. Backlighting the panel means people can see the screen as it was meant to be seen and I can’t wait until it opens to the public in April next year.”

The screen’s history is as dramatic as its appearance. It suffered a devastating vandalism attack in the 1980s, which shattered the central portrait of Churchill, and another 6 panels. The surviving panels were removed when the precinct was sold in 1992 and have been in secure storage ever since. The panel being unveiled depicts the Battle of Atlantic, one of ten whole side panels that survived.

The project was finally realised thanks to support from the DCMS, Arts Council & Museum Development Midlands, secured for the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.

Following the unveiling on the 20 November, the museum will open a comprehensive exhibition exploring the screen’s creation, its controversial subject, its vandalism, and the passionate public feeling it still evokes. The display will draw on a rich archive, including original installation photos, conservation reports, and fragments of the vandalised portrait.

“This isn’t just a story about glass; it’s a story about a community,” said Niamh Peters, the curator who put the exhibition together. “The comments from the public range from fond nostalgia to anger over its removal and Dudley’s retail decline. The exhibition will capture these multiple perspectives, acknowledging Churchill’s complex legacy while celebrating a stunning work of art that meant so much to so many.”

The new exhibition telling the story of the artwork, will open permanently from 30th April 2026, but you can see the restored panel from its opening date.