It marked the end of five long years of hard work and dedication by the Danby Beacon Trust who raised £22,000 to restore the historical monument.

More than 200 people braved the cold weather to see Lord Downe, president of the Danby Beacon Trust, light the beacon.

Lord Downe said: "It was a privilege for us all to be invited to an event that in all probability will only occur once every 300 years."

Master of Ceremonies was the Reverend Alan Coates who spoke of the earlier history of the site on a Bronze Age burial mound and pointed out that the new beacon incorporates a design of bronze flames to link it with its past.

He said the contemporary design and beauty of the beacon when lit was a sight to bring warmth on a cold night to all those who had given their time in anticipation of this moment.

Robert Sword, chairman of the Danby Beacon Trust said: "I was delighted to be invited to be chairman of Danby Beacon Trust and after five years of struggling

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with planning, archaeology and funding the whole project came together resulting in an impressive beacon that looks like an historic monument with a very contemporary design."

Designer and trust member Don Watt said it was a night of celebration.

"There were times over the years when you wondered if it would ever get to this stage", he said.

"The ceremony brought back to me what a community project this was when so many people turned out.

"It was an amazing night."

The ceremony was timed to take place in celebration of Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar and recalled an earlier beacon at the site erected to warn of a feared 19th century invasion by Napoleon.

The site also played a vital role in the more recent past when it accommodated one of the earliest radar stations of World War Two. It was from there that the first German bomber was tracked to be shot down in England.

Mr Watt said a man who served at the base during the Second World War came up from Leeds for the ceremony.

"His name is Freddy Smith and he is in his 80s now," he said.

"He thought it was a very moving tribute to all those who had served at the beacon over the years."

After the ceremony the proceedings moved to the Danby Moors Centre where three local schoolchildren Harvey Clarchety, Matthew Wignall and Liva Wright, chosen because they were celebrating their birthdays, presented flowers to the borough mayor Eileen Vickers and cut a celebration cake.