As the world remembers the centenary of the First World War, London's Tower of London is being covered by ceramic poppies to commemorate the lives lost in the conflict. Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red is an evolving installation that will see 888,246 of the artificial flowers "planted," at the tower, each representing a British or Colonial death during the war.

The first poppy was planted by YS Crawford Butler, the oldest serving of the site's Yeoman Warders (popularly known as Beefeaters) back in June. Since then, hundreds of thousands have been added, cascading down from the Tower's windows and out across its dry moat. More will be planted through to the installation's final day, November 11th, which will be the 96th anniversary of the war's end.

Grid View YS Crawford Butler, the Tower of London's longest-serving Yeoman Warder, plants the first ceramic poppy last June (image credit: Richard Lea-Hair / Historical Royal Palaces).

Thousands of poppies cascade from the Tower's window and out into the dry moat below (image credit: Jim Crossley / Creative Commons ).

A closer view of one of the poppies (image credit: Richard Lea-Hair / Historical Royal Palaces).

The final installation will feature 888,246 poppies, with the last being planted on the 96th anniversary of the end of the First World War (image credit: Jim Crossley / Creative Commons ).



