The good news is that the so-called Kingston Staircase has been beautifully restored, and returned to its ancestral home in the Market Place. The bad news is that the fine stained glass that was its companion piece has vanished, and those responsible for its safekeeping seem loath to replace it.

But lets dwell on the good news first. The staircase, a listed historic monument, is the last surviving remnant of the Castle Inn, which stood on the west side of the Market Place in days gone by. Though the earliest known written reference to this old hostelry dates from the reign of Henry VIII, it was evidently a medieval building that was replaced early in the 1600s with one of the first brick structures ever seen in the town.

The staircase, richly hand-carved in oak, was such a handsome feature of the new building that it was retained when the Castle was re-fronted and modernised early in the 18th century for a new career as a coaching inn.

In 1830, the Castle closed and, after years as a candle factory, became two shops. One was occupied by Chilcotts tailoring business, and contained most of the Castles splendid timbers and panelling, together with the staircase. The other was taken by Shrubsoles, an expanding drapery and fashion emporium that had been trading in the Market Place since 1740, and included the Queen among its customers.

In 1873 Shrubsoles business was bought by Joseph Hide. But it was not until 1912 that Hides at last managed a continuous Market Place frontage, and could embark on extensive re-building.

The fine oak doors of the erstwhile Castle were re-hung in the new building, and the staircase re-constructed on a new site in the store. At the same time, Hides commissioned a stained glass window to complement the staircase and commemorate the history of the site.

Glass and staircase remained handsomely intact until 1987 when Hides (re-named Army and Navy in 1983) closed down. For a while, pending re-development as part of Charter Quay, the premises became a sort of indoor market known as Cardinals, and the staircase was sadly neglected and vandalised.

It was rescued in 1997 when St George of Twickenham acquired the site, and embarked on the long-awaited Charter Quay scheme of flats, houses, shops, restaurants and a theatre.

The staircase was despatched to Carpenter Oak of Swindon for painstaking restoration. Now it has returned as a stunning centrepiece of Borders Bookshop, which opens on November 1. Everyones delighted, not least Borders staff, who are wonderfully proud of it.

But what of the stained glass that was meant to be re-installed with it? Thats a less happy story that has roused anger and dismay at Guildhall and among local conservationists. For it has vanished.

St George told us in August that it would not be reinstating the glass because it had been lost or stolen, said a council officer. It also says doesnt propose replacing it, but is considering a panel of prints instead.

The officer said the news was particularly disturbing because the council discovered two years ago that the glass was being kept outdoors on the building site, and had written to St George pointing out that this did not constitute good storage.

Kingstons conservation area advisory committee, the voluntary, but officially recognised group that monitors all planning applications and developments in the town centre, is more forthright. It appears that St George never intended to re-instate this window, said architect and committee chairman, Tony Leitch. If they had, they would have made technical provisions for it, and there are none in the diagrams.

He said the niche on the stairs where the glass should be is only four inches deep. But to accommodate the window , and the back lighting essential for its display against a blank wall, would require a depth of about 12 inches. Furthermore, the plans showed no electrical provision for the lighting.

So what happens now? Kingston Council is in discussion with St George, and conservationists are adamant that, having lost this piece of Kingstons heritage, St George should replace it with something equally fitting. The glass complemented the staircase. A panel of prints would vie with it.

One suggested compromise is a trompe-loeil window. It could be painted in simple Jacobean style with a hazily undefined view that wouldnt compete with the rich detail of the staircase, said Tony Leitch. Another option is to keep pressing for stained glass. But my impression is that St George wants something quick and easy.

However, he and everyone else who has seen it, is unanimous that the staircase restoration is a superb piece of craftsmanship. They are particularly impressed by how the style of its old carvings has been brilliantly captured in the new.

These include an additional panel depicting an armoured and mounted St George on one side, a menacing dragon on the other, and a castle in the middle. Its a neat way of commemorating both the Castle Inn and St George, the developers who have succeeded in creating Charter Quay where others failed! It would be a pity if this achievement, and the firms fine stewardship of the staircase, were to be marred by its seemingly cavalier treatment of the stained glass.

No company executive was available for direct comment.

By.June Sampson