Speaker unveils stained glass window to British Overseas Territories
9 May 2023
The British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies have had their place in UK Parliamentary democracy immortalised – with a depiction of each of their heraldic shields embedded in stained glass.
All 16 overseas territories (OTs) and the three Crown Dependencies are represented in two windows within Speaker’s House.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said the works of art, which he unveiled on Tuesday [9 May], "would be a permanent and tangible reminder of the strong and close links between the UK and its wider family.
"In my opinion, the OTs and dependencies have been overlooked for too long - yet many of the decisions we make here in the UK have a huge impact on their futures," he said.
"They are important to me – they are part of our United Kingdom family - and I want to provide them with a platform on which to speak, to air their concerns, to share experiences and to enable us to learn from each other.
"From now on, every single person coming into Speaker’s House will be reminded of how closely we are connected."
The stained glass windows feature coats of arms from Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Anguilla, Ascension, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territories, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, St Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Tristan da Cunha, Turks and Caicos, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
Each of the window lancets displays the coats of arms delineated in a circle, and one lancet shows the group of arms linked by an intertwining rose and leaf pattern to the coat of arms of Sir Lindsay. This features three Lancashire roses, bees from his home village of Adlington in Lancashire, the key of Gibraltar and a Rugby League ball. The other group of arms is linked to those of John Evelyn Denison, the first Speaker to live in Speaker’s House (Speaker from 1857-72).
The original windows dated from 1858 and possibly contained the arms of Speaker Denison. However, those windows have long since been removed and were replaced by plain, plate glass.
The new design, created by John Reyntiens Glass Studio - the same London-based stain-glassed window specialists who recently reglazed the Big Ben clock dials with new, mouth-blown glass – is sympathetic to the original Pugin-inspired windows and décor at the entrance to Speaker’s House.
At the unveiling of the new windows, the Hon Dr Ellis Webster, Premier of Anguilla, said he was "delighted" to see his island nation represented in Parliament.
"It is a proud moment for our territory and a testament to our shared history and heritage with the UK and its British Overseas Territories," he said.
"I commend Speaker Hoyle and all those involved in bringing this project to fruition."
Joseph Eason Taylor Farrell, Premier of Montserrat, said he was "excited" to see Montserrat’s heraldic shield displayed in Speaker’s House, particularly ‘at a time when residents of the Overseas Territories have joined with the rest of the UK family to celebrate the coronation.’
The British Virgin Islands’ Dr the Hon Natalio Wheatley said the window "acknowledged the importance of the Territory and its people" and "their contributions to our shared history and heritage."