

888,246 ceramic poppies infill the tower of london for remembrance day

image © richard lea-hair and historic royal palaces

remembrance day, taking place each year on november 11th, marks the end of the first world war and honors the commonwealth armed forces who have died in the line of duty. as symbol of this sacrifice and service, artist paul cummins and stage designer tom piper have infilled the famous dry moat at the tower of london with 888,246 ceramic poppies, spilling out from a window onto the vast grassy expanse that divides the historic site from the city center. since august, ‘blood swept lands and seas of red‘ has continued to progressively spread throughout the space, with individually red-hued flowers installed in the landscape by a team of over 8,000 volunteers, each one representing a british military fatality during the war. on remembrance day tomorrow, the last poppy will be planted, reflecting the magnitude of the event with the installation’s powerful and visceral visual commemorative quality.



888,246 ceramic poppies spill out from a window onto the vast grassy expanse

image © richard lea-hair and historic royal palaces



the evolving installation has seen the transformation of the tower of london’s moat

image © richard lea-hair and historic royal palaces



individually crafted poppies have been placed in the landscape

image © richard lea-hair and historic royal palaces



the ceramic installation has grown massively throughout the past months

image © designboom



poppies sweet throughout the vast expanse

image © designboom



the installation weaves through the grounds at the tower of london

image © designboom



hundreds of thousands of flowers have been placed by volunteers

image © designboom



the sweeping sea of red poppies

image © designboom



image © richard lea-hair and historic royal palaces



image © historic royal palaces



image © historic royal palaces