Tower of London to be covered in beautiful display of ceramic poppies as VE Day design revealed

The Tower of London will be covered in a beautiful display of ceramic poppies with a new design revealed in celebration of the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Nearly 30,000 of the flowers will “pour” down the tower and onto its surrounding lawn while the display is in place throughout until the Autumn.

London will be filled with street parties and other celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on Thursday, May 8. There will be a fly-over by the red arrows, a concert in Westminster Abbey and a huge military parade that will finish at the historic Horseguards Parade.

Now, the design for the display at the Tower of London, named Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, has been released. Designer, Tom Piper, will cover the tower, which was itself bombed during the blitz, in ceramic red poppies which will resemble a ‘wound’ and pour across the lawn and form a crater with ripples flowing outwards.

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Poppies created by artist Paul Cummins will be on loan from the Imperial War Museum for the display. Londoners will be able to visit the installation at the Tower of London from May 6 until remembrance day, November 11.

Inside the Tower the installation will create striking images and provide a shared space for people to remember those lost in the Second World War. The Tower of London suffered heavy bombing during the Blitz, along with the rest of the East End.

One of the Tower’s Yeoman Warders, Samuel Reeves, and a resident, Lily Frances Lunn, were killed by a direct bombing of its fortress. Several of its historic buildings were also bomb-damaged during the Blitz.

The Tower has been the site of two major national commemorations which marked the beginning and end of the centenary of the First World War. It has become a national symbol of resilience and space of remembrance.

Some parts of the installation will be visible without a ticket but most of the display, which will be inside the Tower, will require an admission ticket. You can find out how to purchase these here.

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