Tower Poppies To Stay

Prime Minister David Cameron today announced that the poppies at the Tower of London, commemorating the British and Commonwealth soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War, will remain in place until the end of November.

Elements will then be permanently displayed at the Imperial War Museums, after travelling to sites across UK which will allow even more people to experience its unique impact.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:

The poppy display at the Tower of London has in a very short space of time become a much loved and respected monument.

We want to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to witness it, and the government is providing money and working with charities to do so.

By displaying parts of the installation around the country and then permanently in the Imperial War Museum, we have ensured that this poignant memorial will be saved for the nation.

Historic Royal Palaces

The display consists of 888,246 ceramic poppies, one for each British and Colonial fatality during the Great War, stretching around the dry moat of the Tower of London. Following its unveiling at the Tower on the 5 August, volunteers from all over the UK, as well as all over the world, have planted the poppies each day to ensure that all 888,246 are in place by the time for the culmination of the installation on Armistice Day, 11 November 2014. The work was commissioned by the independent charity, Historic Royal Palaces.