Sparkling gift from Houses of Parliament

A NEW stained-glass window was unveiled in Westminster Hall yesterday as a gift of both Houses of Parliament to the Queen to mark her Diamond Jubilee.

The window was designed by John Reyntiens, who created the three-panelled monument, which is based on the royal coat of arms. It features the Lion of England and the Unicorn representing Scotland in a venue where, for her Silver Jubilee address in 1977, the Queen controversially intervened against the break-up of the United Kingdom.

Featuring up to 1,500 pieces, the window will be installed above Westminster Hall’s north door. The Queen thanked the peers and MPs for the present to mark her 60 years on the throne.

She said: “Should this beautiful window cause just a little extra colour to shine down on this ancient place, I should gladly settle for that.”

The designer said it was a “very time-consuming” project, with some of the pieces being fired in the kiln six times.

He said: “I just wanted it to be full of life, exciting and not just like a standard studio production.”

Mr Reyntiens added: “I really wanted this job and I felt I would do it well if I got the opportunity.”