Commemorating the Beginning of WWI with a Sea of Red Ceramic Poppies at the Tower of London

"The work commemorated the centenary of the outbreak of World War I and was made up of 888,246 ceramic red poppies, one for each British or Colonial service member killed in the War.

The title, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red refers to the first line of a poem by an unknown soldier in World War I."

July 17, 2014

On this day, the outdoor public art piece Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red was installed in the moat around the Tower of London.

The work commemorated the centenary of the outbreak of World War I and was made up of 888,246 ceramic red poppies, one for each British or Colonial service member killed in the War.

The title, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red refers to the first line of a poem by an unknown soldier in World War I.

The blood swept lands and seas of red,

Where angels dare to tread.

As I put my hand to reach,

God cried a tear of pain as the angels fell,

Again and again and again.

Artist Paul Cummins designed the ceramic poppies for this magnificent piece of public art, and Tom Piper handled the conceptual design.

Almost one million of Paul's ceramic red poppies appeared to burst forth from the Tower and then flow across the moat. Poppies also seeped out of the Weeping Window and cascaded down a wall. Almost 20.000 volunteers helped with the installation.

Although it was started on this day in 2014, it was not completed until November 11th of that same year.