A Jubilee beacon due to light up Kingston town centre will have to find a new home after it was deemed a health and safety danger.
All Saints Church was forced to turn down Kingston Council’s request to have the borough’s Queen's Diamond Jubilee flame on top their roof of as it would be "impossible" to insure.
The beacon would have been one of a network of more than 4000 lit by communities across the country and the Commonwealth on Monday June 4 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee.
From Treetops National Park in Kenya, where the then young Queen was first told of her father’s death in 1952 and St Andrew’s University, where Prince William and his wife first met, the beacons will light up communities across the world.
Rev Jonathan Wilkes said the church was keen on being part of the summer celebrations and had even contacted the Diocese of Southwark to get permission.
But the grade 1 listed ancient church has a sloping roof which Rev Wilkes points out is a dangerous place to have a live flame.
He said: "We were very honoured to be asked but it would have been impossible to get the beacon up there.
"We speak to the Diocese, carried out a risk assessment but it just could not happen as we would never have got the insurance.
"Understandable there are lots of safety aspects we must adhere and having what essentially is a live flame on a building with a sloping roof could have been a disaster."
A spokesman for Kingston Council said they were looking at the possibility of having the beacon "on or near" the river but were yet to have the plans confirmed.
He said: "After investigating the possibility of installing a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Beacon at All Saints Church in Kingston is was decided this was not a viable option.
"We are currently looking at the possibility of locating a Beacon on or near the river in Kingston but have yet to finalise those plans."
Meanwhile it has been announced Coombe Wood Golf Club will play home to a Jubilee Beacon, which will be lit on June 4, as part of national celebrations and Kingston’s Cultural Programme.
Administration manager Chris Butler said everyone at the club were "thrilled" to be involved in the Jubilee celebrations.
She said: "We applied not really thinking that we would be accepted but when Kingston Council got back to us we could not believe it. We are all thrilled. "
Have you got a suggestion for where the Jubilee flame could be positioned? Let us know by commenting below or email Tom Barnes at tbarnes@london.newsquest.co.uk
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