Panorama of Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red ceramic poppies filling the Tower of London moat during the 2014 First World War centenary

A panoramic view of Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, the extraordinary field of red ceramic poppies that filled the moat of the Tower of London in 2014 to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. Created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins with installation design by Tom Piper, the artwork transformed one of Britain’s best-known historic landmarks into a vast temporary memorial. A total of 888, 246 individually made ceramic poppies progressively filled the Tower moat between July and 11 November 2014, each flower representing a British military fatality during the First World War. In this wide view the intense sea of scarlet poppies spreads across the green moat beneath the pale stone walls, towers and fortifications of the medieval castle, creating a striking contrast between contemporary commemorative art and centuries of British history. More than 21, 000 volunteers helped install the poppies, while millions of visitors travelled to see the evolving artwork. The installation became one of the defining visual images of Britain’s First World War centenary commemorations. At sunset during part of the installation, names of Commonwealth servicemen killed during the conflict were read during a nightly Roll of Honour followed by the Last Post. The final ceramic poppy was planted on Remembrance Day, 11 November 2014. After the display ended, most of the poppies were removed and distributed to purchasers, with proceeds benefiting service charities. The artwork’s title was inspired by words found in a poem written by an unknown First World War soldier. The panorama records the immense physical scale of the installation, with thousands of individual flowers combining into an apparently continuous red landscape around the Tower, linking the familiar remembrance poppy with mass loss, public commemoration and the enduring cultural memory of the Great War.