St Peter's Parish News
Thursday 1 January 1970
The East Window
Worshippers in the nave of St Peter’s have a view of the East Window behind the altar reredos. It’s a beautiful, colourful window installed in 1872, the 650th anniversary of St Peter’s. It was designed by the Victorian firm Clayton & Bell, who also designed the west window in King’s College, Cambridge and the mosaics on the Albert Memorial in London. The central image is Christ triumphant, crowned as King of Kings. Behind him, Heaven is glimpsed through a circular rainbow above Earthly cities, and saints pay homage as awestruck Roman soldiers fall at Christ’s feet.
The window is located in the old sanctuary area, which is now used as the vestry, so most visitors don’t get to see the full window, but hidden away behind the stone reredos of the former high altar is something special to Berkhamsted. If you have a step-ladder to hand, you can look behind and see a stained-glass image of the poet William Cowper (1731–1800), the son of Rev John Cowper, Rector of St Peter’s. William Cowper is depicted sitting at his writing desk, surrounded by his beloved pet hares. It is interesting to note that Cowper is flanked by images of King David holding his lyre and the prophet Jeremiah writing on a scroll, perhaps suggesting that Cowper’s sacred work sets him among the prophets and lyricists of the Old Testament. The window bears inscriptions of texts from Cowper’s hymns.
