Lighting the wall

On Saturday 13 March, a blaze of light will travel from east to west across the north of England along Hadrian’s Wall. At dust 500 braziers will be lit in sequence from the North \See to the Solway Firth, recreating an ancient method of sending messages across the country, when the wall marked the northern frontier of Roman Britain in the second century AD.

This once in a lifetime event will follow the 118 km route of the wall, with the lighting staged by John Farquhar Smith, who was the technical director for the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Know for creating impressive large-scale events, John has also organised a football match inside the Artic Circle and the royal opening of St. Pancras station.

Visitators will be able to watch the first brazier being lit in Wallsend, then at a number of fixed points along the way.

Plus a giant screen will transmit live images from a helicopter following the line of the wall from coast to coast.

The braziers will be lit on top of the Roman mini forts and turrets and an hour after the first one is lit, the line of light will arrive in Bowness on Solway, Cumbria.