Diamond Jubilee Beacons to be lit in Oxford

Tim Stevenson, the Lord Lieutenant for Oxfordshire, will light a beacon on Castle Mound at Oxford Castle Unlocked at 10.15pm, after a speech by the newly elected Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council, Councillor Don Seale.

A second beacon will then be lit on Oxford Castle’s Tower, echoed by a third at Malmaison’s roof top garden in the castle complex.

A wave of lights

The first beacon to be lit in the UK will be set alight by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in London at 10pm, starting a domino effect of flames lighting up the skies.

Beacons will then be lit at locations across the country including farms and stately homes, by army cadets, scouts and guides groups, local authorities, charities, commercial companies and private households, and penultimately The Four Peaks – Ben Nevis, Mount Snowden, Scafell Pike and Slieve Donard.

The final beacon in the chain will be the National Beacon, lit by Her Majesty The Queen at a central location in London at 10.30pm.

Witness this unique event

People are being invited to witness and celebrate this unique occasion at the Oxford Castle complex and should be able to see the lighting of the beacons from vantage points around the city.

Tim Stevenson, Lord Lieutenant for Oxfordshire, said: “It is wonderful to see people from across the UK come together for this unique event which will roll across the nation. Oxfordshire is an integral part of the chain of beacons being lit and I am honoured to be lighting the one on Castle Mound in Oxford’s City Centre. The Chairman will give a short speech preceding the lighting of the beacon. It will be a spectacular sight and should be visible for miles so as many people as possible can get involved and enjoy this superb event.”