Tower of London Remembers

Today I went to London to finally see the poppies at the Tower of London. This exhibit is called 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red'. For those who do not live in the UK and may not be aware of this exhibit - these ceramic poppies fill the moat surrounding the Tower. Each of the 888,246 poppies represent one British fatality from the First World War.

Along the railing there were numerous small memorials - crosses and smaller poppies and also a few pictures of fallen soldiers, both from WW1 and more recent conflicts. All added reminders of the reality of what these flowers represent.

This art installation has gone on all summer - the poppies have been gradually added over the last few months. Most of the poppies have been sold - each for £25 - raising money for several charities.

The poppies have been extremely popular and there are large crowds surrounding the moat, all moving very slowly and respectfully around the Tower. I would have liked to have walked all the way around, but it was all too slow moving. The exhibit which was supposed to end on the 11th has now been extended to the end of November. The moat is now also floodlit at night so many people are able to see the poppies way into the evening.

This news report says that an estimated 5 million have visited the installation over the last few months.
How the Tower's moat of flowers grew.