Tower of London Poppies

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Experience London’s Iconic Events from The View from The Shard

13.06.2025

Just one of the wonderful things about spending my days at The View from The Shard is getting to enjoy all the celebrations the city hosts throughout the year. From the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta to flotillas down the river to the New Year fireworks, each month brings something different to the capital and with each one, more and more visitors enjoying the various cultural events. At the top of the tallest skyscraper in Western Europe I get to enjoy all of them (albeit sometimes vicariously and at a distance).

At the moment and until 11th November, The Tower of London is once again commemorating the end of the Second World War by displaying nearly 30,000 ceramic red poppies. This follows the 2014 installation “Blood Swept Lands and Sea of Red” which saw the Tower’s moat filled with said poppies and which it’s fair to say became a world famous attraction that year – 4 million people came to see them.

This year’s installation is designed by Tom Piper but is of course heavily influenced by Paul Cummins’ original. The poppies are some of the original poppies which have been loaned from the Imperial War Museum and while perhaps not as grand as the original, their use is no less striking and poignant. Rather than filling the moat, the flowers now cascade from the tower resembling a wound. They flow on to the lawns in pools and it is difficult not to be moved as we reflect on the sacrifices of so many.

While I would of course recommend visiting to see it up close, from The View from The Shard we have a perfect birds-eye view of the installation from across the river and rather than having to see the installations in sections we can take in all it’s majesty.

When you visit us, you’re not rushed (we don’t have fixed time limits on your tickets) and as well as The Tower of London you can see all the major sights in the capital. The other London Experts and I are on hand to assist in showing you around and you can relax with champagne or a cocktail, perhaps an ice cream or our latest addition, tubs of sweet fresh strawberries with cream or melted chocolate – all worthy additions to your Instagram grid!

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