Where Are the Tower of London Poppies Now?

By Anna Duncan

If you happened to be in London in 2014, you might have seen the Tower of London transformed into a sea of red. This spectacular installation, known as “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red,” was created to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

The installation consisted of 888,246 ceramic poppies, each one representing a British or colonial military death during the war. The poppies were planted in the moat surrounding the Tower, creating a stunning visual representation of the scale of loss.

So, where are these poppies now?

Well, it turns out that many of them have found new homes around the world. In fact, you might be surprised to learn just how far some of them have travelled.

Let’s take a closer look:

The Weeping Window

One part of the installation, called “The Weeping Window,” consisted of thousands of poppies pouring out from a high window into the moat below. This section has been touring various locations in the UK since 2015.

In 2016, it was displayed at Caernarfon Castle in Wales and Woodhorn Museum in Northumberland. In 2017, it moved on to Derby Silk Mill and Hereford Cathedral.

This year (2021), “The Weeping Window” has been installed at Belfast’s Ulster Museum and is set to travel to other locations around Northern Ireland over the coming months.

The Wave

Another section of “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red” was called “The Wave.” This part consisted of a sweeping arc of poppies rising up from one end of the moat and crashing against an imaginary shore at the other end.

After being on display at the Tower for several months, “The Wave” was dismantled and packed up for transport to its new home: The Imperial War Museum (IWM) North in Manchester.

There, it was reassembled and put on display in the museum’s main exhibition hall. Visitors can now see “The Wave” up close and personal, surrounded by exhibits related to the First World War.

Other Locations

Of course, not all of the poppies from “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red” have been gathered up into neat installations like “The Weeping Window” or “The Wave.”

Many individual poppies have been sold to members of the public, with proceeds going to various charities. These poppies can now be found in homes and gardens around the world.

Others have been used in various art projects or memorial displays. For example, in 2018, a new installation called “Beyond the Deepening Shadow” was created for the Tower of London’s Armistice Day commemorations. This display used thousands of poppies from the original installation.

In short, while you might not be able to see all 888,246 poppies together again anytime soon, many of them are still out there in the world, keeping alive the memory of those who lost their lives during World War I.