THE spire which formed part of the fire display which launched Oxfordshire's Millennium celebrations is up for auction on eBay.

The 22-metre bamboo spire, which held a fiery pendulum, was constructed by North Oxford artist Ted Dewan, and was erected in Broad Street as part of the Luminox fire installations.

The display, which lit up the street for three nights, finishing on Saturday, attracted up to 25,000 visitors over three nights.

Mr Dewan said: "The event was a great success. I'm immensely proud of everyone who helped me and made this whole thing happen, and I'm hoping Broad Street will now be viewed in a different way, as a public space where these kind of shows can take place.

"It took a lot for organisations like the Bodleian Library to agree to have fire displays in front of their building.

"The spire is now flat-packed in a secret location in Oxford and it's for sale on eBay.

"I'm hoping Max Mason, who runs the Big Bang restaurant, will bid for the spire and then maybe it can be used for a fireworks display later in the year.

"Max used to be in the Royal Navy, so he was very useful when it came to tying knots to secure the spire."

Mr Dewan said putting up the spire and taking it down again had left him "bleeding and exhausted" and added that he had lost 10lb during the project.

"I'd love to do something like that again, but I need to eat and sleep and get my breath back.

"Luminox was the kind of event that a lot of people got to know about through word of mouth and it would be nice if Broad Street became that kind of place on a regular basis."

Youngsters from the Harlow Centre and St Nicholas School in Old Marston were among those who helped Mr Dewan build the spire.

On the eBay listing, it says: "The Luminox Spire can also be used in sections for other purposes, such as garden follies or climbing frames, although they do not come up to current health and safety standards as children's play equipment.

"It can also be used as a swinging barbecue, possibly the world's tallest firepit."

The starting bid for the spire is £1, but so far there have been no bidders. The eBay auction ends on Saturday at 3pm.

Luminox was the first of series of events being co-ordinated by Oxford Inspires to celebrate Oxfordshire's Millennium.

Oxford Inspires spokesman Liz Gresham estimated that between 20,000 and 25,000 people viewed the fire installations over three nights.

She added: "It was great that so many people came out to see them, even when it was cold and windy.

"Luminox was a wonderful way to start our celebrations."

See www.oxfordshire2007.com for a full programme of events.

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