Poppies installation opens at the Tower of London

The Tower of London marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with poppies installation and new poem by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage

Open from 6 May 2025

To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, a new display of ceramic 
poppies has been installed at the heart of the Tower of London. The installation, which will 
run from May to November, will use poppies from the acclaimed 2014 artwork, ‘Blood Swept 
Lands and Seas of Red’, which saw the Tower become a site for remembrance visited by over 
5 million people. Nearly 30,000 poppies from the original installation, on loan from Imperial 
War Museums’ collection, have returned to the historic fortress to form the new display, 
marking and reflecting on the sacrifices made by so many during the Second World War. 

The new display will see poppies flowing down the side of the iconic White Tower, where a 
frozen ‘splash’ of the blood-red flowers will begin a ‘cascade’ of poppies through the heart of 
the fortress, before emerging under St Thomas’s Tower. Nearby, the poppies will also form a 
crater with ripples flowing outwards, resembling a ‘wound’ at the heart of the Tower, which 
was itself bombed during the Blitz and still bears some of those scars today. 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.

To accompany the new installation, Historic Royal Palaces – the independent charity that 
cares for the Tower of London – has also commissioned a poem by Poet Laureate Simon 
Armitage, marking this important anniversary. The poem, titled ‘In Retrospect’, reflects on the 
poppy as a symbol of remembrance and its significance, and will be available for visitors to 
read both on site at the Tower and online after a first performance at the Tower on 6 May. On 
his inspiration for the new poem, Simon Armitage said, 

"The poem is a meditation on recollection, written at a time when WWII is moving beyond 
living memory. Poppies have become the enduring symbol of remembrance for the two world 
wars of the twentieth century, and I wanted to focus on the flower itself, looking beyond the 
over-familiar and the easily-recognised towards its nature and being, wondering how and why 
a frail plant can carry such meaning and significance. It's written in two sonnet-sized stanzas, 
a nod to those two conflicts and to the eightieth anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day. I want 
the poem - and the poppy - to throw responsibility back in our own direction, to twang our 
conscience, and not expect the flower to do all the work for us."

The 2025 installation, ‘The Tower Remembers’ sees the return of nearly 30,000 poppies from 
the 2014 installation, which 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. On the 
night the display opens – 6 May – the poppies will be illuminated for the first time, 
remembering that moment of hope after years of darkness.

The display opens two days before the 80th anniversary of VE Day, which marks the official 
end of the Second World War in Europe. 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.

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 smaller display. 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 each reflect on the lasting 
legacy of conflict. We hope that this display will offer many people the opportunity to do that.’

For more information, visit: www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/tower-remembers-2025

Notes to Editors

The installation opens on 6 May and is included as part of Tower of London admission. A 
small part of the display will be visible from the public footpath, which does not require a 
ticket. 

Tower Poppies 2014 background information
In 2014, the Tower of London hosted a major art installation, Blood Swept Lands and Seas 
of Red, to mark the centenary of the start of the First World War.
• The installation was made up of 888,246 ceramic poppies progressively filling the
Tower's moat between July and November 2014. Each poppy represented a military 
life lost during the war. Five million people from countries around the world 
travelled to the Tower of London to see the poppies.
• ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ – poppies and original concept by artist Paul 
Cummins and installation designed by Tom Piper – by Paul Cummins Ceramics 
Limited in conjunction with Historic Royal Palaces.
• 14-18 NOW - the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary established 
by DCMS – later toured the iconic poppy sculptures ‘Wave’ and ‘Weeping Window’ to 
19 locations around the UK, where they were seen by over 4.6 million people.
• The poppies on loan were part of the original installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and 
Seas of Red’ as well as the national tour of ‘Wave’ and ‘Weeping Window’ by 
1418NOW, before becoming part of the Imperial War Museums collection in autumn 
2018. Both the ‘Wave’ and ‘Weeping Window’ were saved for the nation by the 
Backstage Trust and the Clore Duffield Foundation and gifted to Imperial War 
Museums. The poppies used in the 2025 display will be returned to Imperial War 
Museums’ collection and will not be sold.

For further information and images please contact the Historic Royal Palaces Press Office via 
press@hrp.org.uk / 020 3166 6166

Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity that loves and looks after six of the most 
wonderful palaces in the world. The palaces are the setting for the stories that shape us all, and 
we’re bringing them to people in ways that mean more to them. We want everyone to find 
themselves in the spaces and stories we share.
Registered charity number 1068852. For more information visit www.hrp.org.uk

Paul Cummins MBE is a ceramic artist from Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Paul is 
internationally renowned for the installation 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red' at HRP 
Tower of London 2014. Paul was inspired to produce a ceramic poppy to honour each military 
life lost at the Front during the First World War. In recent years Paul has been commissioned 
to create large-scale installations for the Duke of Devonshire's Chatsworth House, Derby Royal 
Hospital, Althorp Estate, Blenheim Palace, Hardwick Hall, the Conran Shop. 
Paul is represented by Halcyon Gallery, London, his most recent artworks appeared in the 
gallery’s 2024 group exhibition, ‘In Plain Sight’, 2024.
https://www.halcyongallery.com/artists/28-paul-cummins-mbe