The moat of the Tower of London is lit with 10,000 flames for a week leading up until the 11th of November, which marks 100 years since World War I finished. This is an exhibition called Beyond the Deepening Shadow: The Tower Remembers. Visitors can see the flames in the moat for free from the Tower of London concourse or with tickets purchased in advance (now sold out) to see the flames from the moat. Each evening is started with a trumpet blow with the flames being hand-lit from 5:00. Readers of this blog may remember four years ago in 2014, which marked the start of World War I, of the poppies (Tower of London Poppies and Tower of London Poppies Commemorate The Great War and #LightsOut). For the best tips on seeing this exhibition, please continue to read on.
After the Tower of London, a 'wave' of the poppy installation went on a tour of the United Kingdom so that as many people as possible could see them in their local area. I saw the wave when it visited Lincoln Castle, which you can read about here: Poppies at Lincoln Castle. The final destination of this wave of poppies is at the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth, south London. The wave of poppies will be on display there until the 25th of this month.
This is a fitting end to the 100-year commemoration of the end of World War I. The flames continue to glow from the time they are lit at 5:00, and they start to flicker off at 9:00. Although the number of flames do not match the number of fallen soldiers, like the poppies did, they could represent the lives lost or the devestation that was brought on Europe. The art installation could mean many things to many people.
Tom Piper, who brought us the poppies four years ago, also brought us Beyond the Deepening Shadow: The Tower Remembers. Sound artist Mira Calix was also involved in the installation, creating a soundscape based on choral work "One lighted look for me" with words from Mary Borden's "Sonnets to a Soldier"; Borden was a poet during the war. The lines are sung in different languages and creates a haunting and spiritual effect to the installation. At times, I felt as though I were in a cathedral and not in the Tower of London moat.
At the start of my evening, I was led with the rest of the group for my time slot on my ticket to the grounds of the cathedral. We were given information by a Yeoman Warder (beefeater) about the art installation. We could go around at our own leisure to enjoy the exhibit for as long as we needed. I spent an hour inside the moat. One of the facts given to us was that the moat was actually used as a training ground for soldiers. The Yeoman Warders made part of the display and stood around to answer any questions that we had. Other volunteers were part of the display with their own sound speakers emitting the different choral parts of the soundscape.
This was a fitting tribute to all of the lives affected. For me, it felt like a huge memorial to these people. It felt like being in a cathedral of spiritual place, seeing the flames lit and listening to the choir.
I am sure many of you have not yet been to see this moving tribute and want to know some tips. I had tickets, but I think I can still help. First of all, if you have tickets for an earlier slot, get there early. My ticket entry was earlier in the evening at 6:20. The volunteers helping to move the pedestrian traffic did not know where to guide people with tickets. The vast amount of people going to see the installation made it impossible to see/read any signs. I am glad that I did not listen to the volunteer who gave me the wrong information and to "get in queue like everyone else". So, if you have tickets, do not follow what the paper said when you booked them as it will lead you into the wrong queue; go to where you cross the road to the tower concourse and inform the volunteers in high visibility jackets. Keep asking until one can help you. They will let you through the barriers as long as you can prove you have your ticket. Once inside, go down to the normal entry where the staff are; if you're more than 10 minutes early, you will have to wait.
What if I don't have tickets? My advice is to either get there very early to get in the line (which should hopefully be shorter) and watch the first lighting and procession at 5:00. I would get there much earlier, as it will be busy. I arrived at 5:20 and it was already packed. People were being herded into a chaotic system, and to be honest, this was not managed well at all. When you exit Tower Hill tube station, there are a couple of people telling everyone to turn right. The queueing happens along the main road between Tower Hill and the Tower of London. Part of the station entrance is shut off. There are one-way systems in place, and the majority of the area is not accessible. I would actually aim to arrive toward the end of the evening (before 9:00 as the lights start to fade out and the installation ends).
Since this event is only on for a week, expect large crowds, particularly later in the week as the press has picked this up more. Expect the crowds to be just as large or larger than the poppies because of the short time that this is on. Again, try to aim for later in the evening. Grab dinner and then go. A lot of people will attempt to see it earlier because they have just finished work or want an early night. Also, do expect to wait awhile. I did notice that there were fewer crowds on the east side of the Tower of London with plenty of spaces to peer over the railings to get a view of the flames below. However, the most photographic area is what the queue was for, and that is the west side. If you are going, I hope you enjoy it.
Leave a comment