A network of flaming homage to the Queen will stretch across the country on Thursday.
The platinum anniversary beacons will be lit at 9.45pm in places including the Tower of London, Windsor Grand Park, Hillsborough Castle and the mansions of Queen Sandringham and Balmoral, along with the peaks of the four highest peaks in the UK.
The first beacons will be lit in Tonga and Samoa in the South Pacific, and the last – in the central US state of Belize.
The main lighthouse outside the palace – a 21-meter tree sculpture for the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative – will be illuminated by a high-ranking member of the royal family, and images will be projected on the palace.
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The history of the anniversary lighthouses
Over the next 70 days, as we count down to the #PlatinumJubilee Central Weekend, we will share an image of Queen’s Day – each representing a year of Her Majesty’s 70 years of rule.
🧵 Follow our countdown # 70for70
– The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 24, 2022
The lighting of lighthouses to celebrate royal anniversaries, weddings and coronations is a long tradition.
Flaming displays can appear on top of mountains, towers of churches and cathedrals, battle walls of castles, on urban and rural green areas, rural properties, parks and farms, on beaches and on rocky peaks.
In 1897, lighthouses were lit to celebrate the diamond anniversary of Queen Victoria. In 1977, 2002 and 2012, the lighthouses celebrated the Queen’s silver, gold and diamond anniversaries, and in 2016, Her Majesty’s 90th birthday.
Four types of beacons light up on Thursday:
- Freestanding headlamp powered by cylinder gas
- Lighthouse grill with metal shield
- Fire headlight
- Bishops Frome Strawman
Platinum Jubilee Lighthouses in Dorset
Lewis Wilde is testing one of his gas beacons, which will be used to signal the start of the platinum anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II. Photo: PA
Milton Abbas – exact location not specified
Berwick St. John Parish Council – exact location not specified
Wereham City Council – Howards Lane car park
Wimborne City Council, Colehill Parish Council and Pamphyll and Shapuick Parish Council – Wimborne Cemetery, Wimborne
Studland Parish Council – location not specified
Blandford Forum City Council – Railway Arches, Blandford Forum
Bere Regis Parish Council – Bere Regis
Sidling Parish Council St. Nicholas – Eastfield Hill, Sidling St. Nicholas, Dorchester
National Trust, North and West Dorset – Thorncombe Beacon, Bridport
Port Leather Island and Royal Estate – The Beacon Ground, Priory Corner, Portland
Sandford Orcas, Queen Thorne, Sherborne – Nad Miter Inn, Sandford Orcas
Wereham City Council – Howards Lane Parking, Wereham
Sturminster City Council – Railway Garden, Old Market Hill, Sturminster Newton
Corton Denham Village Hall – Corton Denham Hill, Corton Denham
Stratton Parish Council – Grimstone Down, Stratton
Minterne Estate – Field at Bakers Plain, Cerne Abbas
Platinum Jubilee Committee of Corfu Castle – East Hill, Corfu Castle, Warham
Christchurch City Council – Mudeford Quay, Christchurch
Frampton Parish Council – Frampton
West Parley Parish Council – West Parley Memorial Hall
East Lulworth Parish Council – Icehouse Field, Lulworth Castle, East Lulworth, Wareham
Speciesbury Parish Council and Charlton Marshall Parish Council – Spetsbury Rings, South Farm, Spetsbury
Dorset Council – Durlston Castle, Durlton Country Park, Swansea
Newman Farming Partnership – Castle Hill, Cattistock, Dorchester
Charmut Parish Council – Charmut Beach / Forshore, Lower Sea Lane, Charmut
Broadwindsor Fun Group – Distributions against Broadwindsor School, Broadwindsor
Kimmeridge Village Hall – Kimmeridge Bay, Kimmeridge, Wareham
NCI unit in Lyme Bay – near Lyme Bay NCI station, Lyme Bay
Parish of Melcombe Horsey and Hilton – Melcombe Park, Ansty, Dorchester
Membury Merry Makers and Membury Parish Council – Membury Castle, Membury
Gillingham Rotary Club (Dorset) – Harding Lane Recreation Area, Gillingham
Yetminster Jubilee Celebration Committee – St. Andrew’s Church Tower, Yetminster
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