London What's On

Ceramic poppies return to the Tower of London

From May to November 2025, the Tower of London will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with a new display of ceramic poppies installed at the heart of the historic fortress.

The new installation will use poppies from the acclaimed 2014 artwork, ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’, which saw the Tower encircled by a ‘sea’ of poppies becoming a site for remembrance visited by over 5 million people. From May 2025, nearly 30,000 poppies from the original installation, on loan from Imperial War Museums’ collection, will return to the Tower to form a new display, marking and reflecting on the sacrifices made by so many during the Second World War.

The new display will resemble a ‘wound’ at the heart of the Tower, which was itself bombed during the Blitz and still bears some of those scars today. Poppies will pour across the lawn overlooked by the ancient White Tower, where the blood-red flowers will form a crater, with ripples flowing outwards. The installation, on display within the Tower’s walls, will create striking images, reminding us of the sacrifice and loss of war, and of the long-lasting impact of conflict.

Commissioned by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces, the new installation will be formed by nearly 30,000 ceramic poppies from the original display, on loan from Imperial War Museums’ collection.

The poppies, and concept for the 2014 installation, was devised and created by artist, Paul Cummins, who said, ‘It’s with great excitement and joy that we will be bringing back some of the original poppies back to the Tower to mark such an important year of remembrance. Seeing the public reaction to ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’, and the subsequent tour of the ‘Wave’ and ‘Weeping Window’ across the country, was something that I will always be proud of and will never forget. These artworks helped to bring people together from across the world, collaborating, telling stories, remembering loved ones and honouring those who sacrificed to protect future lives.’
‘I hope that some of the poppies returning to the place they were initially unveiled will inspire the same feelings of togetherness, reflection and hope for the future for all across the globe.’

The new display has been designed by designer Tom Piper, who said, ‘It is a real privilege to be able to return to the Tower to design a new installation. The scale and impact of the 2014 installation could never be repeated, but we learned on the subsequent national tour of the ‘Wave’ and ‘Weeping Window’ sculptures that smaller installations could still carry great emotional power. Everywhere these poppies have been, they have brought people together, with their own stories of sacrifice, commemoration, and hope for the future. They have much to say about the universality of war and the anguish of suffering and loss. We hope that this new display will provide an opportunity to reflect on the impact of war not just on military personnel, but Londoners and people across the country. Once again, it will be installed in a place which is an enduring symbol of strength and survival, which has stood, wounded but resilient throughout London’s turbulent history.’ The Tower suffered heavy aerial bombardment during the Blitz, alongside the rest of the East End of London. One of the Tower’s Yeoman Warders, Samuel Reeves, and a resident, Lily Frances Lunn, died when the fortress took a direct hit, and several of its historic buildings were bomb-damaged in the period. At the end of the War, the fortress was floodlit, as a beacon of hope for a new beginning, but the shadow of loss hung over its VE Day festivities. Marking this loss is of deep importance to the Tower’s resident community, many of whom are veterans themselves.

Brigadier Andrew Jackson, Governor of the Tower of London said,
‘Many of the community that lives and works at the Tower of London are veterans with a long and distinguished record of service. Everyone here is familiar with the Tower’s wartime history and the impact of the previous poppies installation in 2014, so we are looking forward to welcoming visitors to this new display. We hope it will be a shared space to reflect on the sacrifices of the fallen.’

The display will open on 6 May, in advance of the 80th anniversary of VE Day - which marks the official end of the Second World War in Europe – on 8 May. It will run through VJ Day, 15 August, until 11 November, culminating in a moment of remembrance for Armistice Day. When the display closes, the poppies will return to Imperial War Museums’ collection.

Tom O’Leary, Director of Public Engagement at Historic Royal Palaces said,
‘As the Second World War begins to pass out of living memory, it’s more important than ever that we come together to remember, share stories of the past and to reflect on the lasting legacy of conflict. We know that the 2014 display was a unique event in the Tower’s history that can never be repeated, but we wanted to play our part in marking this anniversary, and hope that by returning a small number of the original poppies to the Tower, we’ve found a fitting way to do that. We hope that the Tower of London can once again be a space for
everyone to remember and reflect in the ways that mean most to them, during this important anniversary year.’
For more information, visit: www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/tower-remembers-2025