Buckland Beacon
Buckland Beacon is a granite hilltop on Dartmoor, England. It rises 382 metres (1,253 feet) above sea level and overlooks the Dart Valley near the village of Buckland-in-the-Moor. The site features a cone-shaped beacon and rocks at the base that are carved with the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments Stones were carved between December 15, 1927 and June 14, 1928. They were commissioned by William Whitley, the lord of Buckland Manor, after he learned of proposed changes to the Church of England prayers. Local sculptor WA Clement carved the wording onto rocks using the current prayer book as a guide. The stones include the Ten Commandments, the dates of two parliamentary defeats of the prayer book revisions, a hymn verse, and John 13:34. The weathering of the lettering meant it needed recutting, most recently in 2016 at a cost of about £16,000.
On the summit is the Jubilee Stone, added to mark George V’s Silver Jubilee in 1935. It is now barely visible, and the inscription states 1282 feet—about 50 feet shorter than the actual height of Buckland Beacon. The beacon has also been used for beacons during the millennium in 2000 and for later jubilees, including those of Queen Elizabeth II.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:05 (CET).