A memorial plaque in honor of philanthropist Walter Winning, who lived from 1781 to 1821, has been installed at St. Mary's Church.

Winning began his business career in London with his older brother William, but in 1799 he moved to St. Petersburg to join his brother John, remaining there until 1807.

In 1810, Winning experienced a strong religious awakening and after the death of his mother in 1811, he became a member of the Congregationalist Church. In 1815, with the formation of the Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline, he became actively involved in its activities.

Returning to St. Petersburg in 1817, Winning founded a similar society in 1819. With the support of Prince Alexander Golitsyn, he received permission to visit prisons in Russia and in 1818 visited the prisons in Moscow. In August 1820, he planned a trip to Denmark for a similar purpose but abandoned the idea due to bad weather conditions.

Winning passed away on January 10, 1821, from typhus, which he contracted during a visit to a St. Petersburg prison. He was buried in the city, where the St. Petersburg Society for the Improvement of Prisons erected a monument to him.