When North Rode Parish Council decided to organise an 80th D-Day Anniversary event on 6th June, we decided that this would include lighting the village beacon alongside hundreds of others across the United Kingdom. The original beacon was installed in 1999, for the occasion of the Millenium, when the lighting of North Rode Beacon was televised nationally by the BBC. On inspection, the oak post was found to be in very poor condition below and above ground requiring replacement. It was on the verge of falling over if a cow leaned on it! Parts of the basket tray were found to be corroded completely though, needing to be cut out and repaired. In addition, the beacon needed to be relocated to within the Daintry Hall boundary and to be designed such that the post could be temporarily removed if necessary. These pictures show the story:
The skills and resources of many villagers were kindly offered and provided to enable the beacon refurbishment and relocation to take place in time for 6th June 2024 and was completed just I time! Special thanks though go to the following individuals.
Tony Hayes – Design of new beacon foundation and support and installation work.
Mark Bullock – Removal of dismantling of old beacon
Peter Brocklehurst – sourcing of new oak post
Rob Thorpe – Manufacture of new steel support and repair of metal basket
Graham Sampson – Excavation for foundation
Cllr Alistair Bailey – Assistance with installation work
Dave Stonier – Provision of telehandler to install completed post
Cllr Huw Williams – Project management, post carving and installation work