MillenniuM Beacon, Blackwall

Back in the late 1990s the United Kingdom, and the rest of the world, was gearing up for the new MillenniuM.

London, itself, had three major construction projects underway: The MillenniuM Wheel, the MillenniuM Footbridge and the MillenniuM Dome, along with smaller, local projects, such as the MillenniuM Maze, Hanwell, and the MillenniuM Pathway, Lambeth.

Something that would link the United Kingdom together was the lighting of 'The Giant Beacon'.

Of the 1400 beacons, spread across the country, this was the only one situated in London.

History

Beacons had been used across London since Roman times, as a way of signalling.

In 1346, beacons were employed during the French invasions. They worked so well that King Edward IV ordered the construction of a network of beacons in readiness of an invasion from a foreign power.  

In 1588, beacons were lit in response to the approach of the Spanish Armada and were used again in the 1660s, during the Dutch wars. They were also lit during the Jacobite Rebellion, of 1745, and the American War of Independence, in the 1780s.

Nowadays, these beacons, which still crisscross the country, are used for national events and royal jubilees.

This Giant Beacon, at East India Docks Basin, is one of a chain of 1400 such beacons, which were lit across the country, beginning in the Scottish Isles and moving down the country to Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London, celebrating the new MillenniuM... 2000.

For me, the choice of creating 1400 beacons, and not 2000, was a missed opportunity.