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See the Tower Poppies bloom

Tile manufacturer Johnson Tiles has offered a look behind the scenes at the making of the ceramic poppies for the installation at Tower of London. The final poppy will be planted on Armistice Day, and the manufacturer has been busy helping to ensure that the moat will be in full bloom by next Tuesday.

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All images courtesy of Johnson Tiles

All images courtesy of Johnson Tiles

Each of the 888,246 poppies represents a fallen soldier, and the installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red is a concept by project artist Paul Cummins. 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 every poppy by hand.

These photographs show the various stages that the poppies go through, from a slab of clay to being hand-rolled into the classic poppy shape. Find out more here.

Rows of hand-crafted clay poppies drying on wooden shelves at Johnson Tiles factory, with visitors visible in the background
Hands shaping clay into the curved petal form of a ceramic poppy for the Tower of London installation
Hand-rolled ceramic poppy petals in various stages of completion on a production conveyor, part of Johnson Tiles' manufacturing process for the Tower of London installation
Ceramic artist wearing blue apron and turquoise gloves hand-decorating ceramic poppies at Johnson Tiles factory
Hand holding a freshly formed white ceramic poppy with curled petals during the handmade production process for Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation
White ceramic poppies move along a factory conveyor belt during production for the Tower of London installation
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