Skip to content

Platinum Jubilee: beacons light up the sky across West

BBC Cabot Tower in Bristol lit-up for the JubileeBBC
Cabot Tower on Brandon Hill in Bristol was lit up for the occasion

Beacons, bonfires and buildings lit up the skies across the West Country to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

People gathered across Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire as night fell on Thursday.

The Queen began the ceremony by touching a globe representing the Commonwealth nations, symbolically sending a chain of lights from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace.

More than 3,000 jubilee beacons were lit across the Commonwealth.

Cleeve Hill beacon in Gloucestershire
A beacon was set up as the sun went down on Cleeve Hill in Cheltenham, which has sweeping views of Gloucestershire
Robinswood Hill beacon in Gloucestershire
Families gathered at Robinswood Hill beacon in Gloucester on Thursday

Bristol's Cabot Tower was bathed in purple light, and crowds enjoyed lighting ceremonies on Cleeve Hill and Robinswood Hill in Gloucestershire.

Army cadets in Wiltshire entertained visitors to a beacon lighting in Devizes as they performed with drums and bugles.

Beacon at Devizes
A beacon was lit at Devizes
Wiltshire's Army Cadet Force perform
Wiltshire's Army Cadet Force performed ahead of the lighting ceremony

People also gathered atop of Brent Knoll in Somerset to enjoy a bonfire.

The date of the celebration has been added to a jubilee bonfire memorial at the site, which displays the dates of jubilee and coronation bonfires dating back to 1887.

Brent Knoll bonfire
A bonfire was lit at Brent Knoll on the Somerset levels
A jubilee bonfire memorial on Brent Knoll on the Somerset levels
The jubilee bonfire memorial on Brent Knoll in Somerset
Presentational grey line

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]