Beacons should be lit on high ground, like they did for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It would make a great video from a Satellite if they started a chain from Cornwall and as soon as the next one sees the previous one lit, they light theirs, see how long it takes to spread over the entire country.

They used to do this in times of emergency such as the Spanish Armada invasions etc

Who's going to see one in Market Square Wigan, it's completely surrounded by buildings, Rivington Pike is more like it.