Making London's poppies
888,246 ceramic flowers have been placed at Tower Hill in London to mark the centenary of the First World War and those that died in the conflict. Each flower had to be made by hand, with time manufacturer Johnson Tiles joining in the effort
Created to mark the centenary of the First World War, the fired of ceramic poppies currently forming a blood-red moat around the Tower of London has been a massive draw for tourists and Londoners alike, with crowds flocking to see it.
Made of 888,246 ceramic flowers - each representing someone who died in the Great War - the installation by artist Paul Cummins is breathtaking, but few people visiting the attraction will have an idea of the incredible work that went into creating it.
Stoke-on-Trent tile manufacturer Johnson Tiles has helped to ensure the Tower of London moat will be flowing with poppies after stepping in to make thousands of the ceramic flowers.
The Tunstall-based company was approached by project artist Paul Cummins, to help meet the target of 888,246 poppies, with each ceramic flower representing a person who died in the war.
Johnson Tiles recruited a team of specialist ceramic artists, who have been working at the factory over the past few months, individually making and decorating each and every poppy by hand.
The Tower of London moat installation, which was officially unveiled by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the summer, has since been filling up as the flowers are made, with volunteers planting each one. The final poppy will be 'planted' on Armistice Day to mark the end of the conflict.
Some 8,000 poppies a day are made by the team at Johnson Tiles for Cummins' Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation, in a labour-intensive process involving traditional, skilled method of making, beginning with clay processing to produce slabs.
