A MYSTERY dating back almost 40 years has finally been solved allowing a beautiful stained glass window to be restored.

In 1978, the decorative windows of the former Trinity Congregational Church in Glasgow were taken down as part of the building's transformation into the Henry Wood Hall for the Scottish National Orchestra.

A number were taken by city museum bosses with the intention of displaying them in the People's Palace.

And two were snapped up by The Stained Glass Museum Ely in Cambridgeshire which is based in Ely Cathedral.

However when they arrived, it was discovered there was a problem with one of the windows as the top of a right hand panel, showing the head of an angel and the tips of her wings, was missing.

The window was put into storage where it has remained for the past four decades.

However, the mystery of the missing piece has now been solved thanks to research carried out by Glasgow Life into stained glass designer Harrington Mann who attended Glasgow School of Art and was a member of the Glasgow Boys movement in the 1880s.

It uncovered a piece of one of his windows in storage and a hunt was launched to find out what happened to the rest of the window.

Thanks to painstaking work, it was discovered in the collection of The Stained Glass Museum.

Experts believe all the windows from the church were removed in January 1978 by an external contractor and stored in their workshop for collection by the various parties.

Documents from the time suggest they were stored in "something of a muddle" which may have led to the top of the angel window going into the care of museum bosses.

Glasgow Life chairman Archie Graham said: "We are delighted this long-running mystery looks to be finally solved and it is absolutely fitting, given the depiction of the Good Samaritan within the panel, that we return this small fragment, so the panel can be completed and displayed in Ely.

"Glasgow Museums still retains two stunning stained glass windows from what was the Trinity Church in Claremont Street and we will look further into their story before considering future display."

Jasmine Allen, curator at The Stained Glass Museum said she was delighted the missing piece of the window had been discovered and would be returned.

She said: "The panel we have has been in our reserve store since being rescued as we couldn't put it on display without a head.

"It is wonderful the parts are going to be reunited and it will eventually go on display so we are really pleased."