Most of the stained glass originally in this aisle was destroyed during the Second World War. The original window above the south-east entrance, for example, once formed a memorial to the first English printer, William Caxton. Now a tablet beside the window provides a memorial to him. The present glass dates from 1946 and commemorates Edward Algernon Fitzroy (1869-1943), Speaker of the House of Commons from 1928. Speaker Fitzroy's funeral was held at St Margaret's and he was buried in the chancel. The heraldic glass includes the royal arms and the Fitzroy arms (in the central light), together with the arms of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.

To the left of the entrance a seventeenth-century brass tablet records the burial of Sir Walter Raleigh in 1618. This was his only memorial until almost three centuries later when the west window in the nave was installed.

Beneath the two Piper windows, immediately west of the vestry door, are panels of glass mosaic work depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The one furthest from the vestry dates from 1894 and forms a memorial to Phillips Brooks (1835-93), Bishop of Massachusetts. A celebrated preacher in his day, he is now best remembered as the writer of the Christmas Carol '0 little town of Bethlehem’.

There are many monuments in the south aisle. The most prominent, to the west of the Brooks memorial, is that of Marie, Lady Dudley (d. 1600) who is depicted in a full-length effigy on a chest tomb. The kneeling figure next to the tomb represents Richard Montpesson, Lady Dudley's second husband, who erected the monument to her. James Rumsey (1743-92), ‘whom the State of Virginia honours as the inventor of the steamboat’, is buried in St Margaret’s churchyard and memorialised with this tablet.

Beneath the next window a brass plaque commemorates the constitutional jurist Thomas Erskine May, Baron Farnborough (1815-86) who served the House of Commons for 54 years and whose Treatise on the Law and Usage of Parliament remains the standard guide to parliamentary procedure.

The west window of this aisle depicts scenes from the life of Christ and forms a memorial to Lord Frederick Cavendish (1836-82), chief secretary for Ireland and one of the victims of Dublin's notorious Phoenix Park murders.

Restoration

The House of Commons has, from time to time, expressed its concern for St Margaret's. In 1984 members organised an appeal and raised £1million. The endeavour was launched by Speaker Weatherill, who sustained it throughout by his personal commitment and enthusiasm. As a result of the appeal the badly damaged exterior of the church was repaired and the interior was adorned and beautified. This is why St Margaret’s looks so fine today.

The Piper windows

In 1966 the war-damaged windows of the south aisle were filled with glass designed by John Piper (1903-1992) and executed by Patrick Reyntiens. The design treats all the windows as a unity and Piper deliberately chose not to use any strong colours or formal figures so as not to compete with the east window of which he was a great admirer.