Wave opened at Lincoln Castle on Thursday 26 May, specially presented by 14-18 NOW to mark the centenary of the First World War.

A sweeping arch of bright red poppy heads suspended on towering stalks, the sculpture is from the extraordinary installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper.

Wave and its sister sculpture Weeping Window were initially conceived as the key dramatic sculptural elements in the installation, which was shown at the Tower of London in 2014.

Now, the two breath-taking sculptures are being brought to audiences at venues across the country. And for the remainder of 2016, Lincoln Castle is the only place in England to host the poppies.

As with all 14-18 NOW projects, the presentation of these sculptures to new audiences across the United Kingdom aims to prompt a new, nationwide dialogue around the legacy of the First World War.*

Lincoln County’s War-Time Connections

Lincolnshire will be commemorating 1916, a turning point within the four terrible years of the First World War, that saw this country to begin to change in every conceivable way.

Lincolnshire has strong connections with both world wars and, during the first, Lincoln Castle was used by the Lincolnshire Regiment and for fundraisers and parades.

Lincolnshire engineering companies who had formerly revolutionised agricultural machinery carried on innovating, moving from tractors to tanks.

It was during this period that the first operational tank was developed by Fosters of Lincoln, went into full production, and was first used on the Somme battlefield. Between 1915 and 1919 Lincoln became one of the largest centres of aircraft production in the world.

A veritable army of Lincolnshire women – the munitionettes – many as young as 14, moved into the towns and factories of Gainsborough, Grantham, Grimsby and Lincoln to make tanks, aircraft and munitions.

There were also 37 military aerodromes across the county by 1918 and this number grew in WWII. Many aviation heritage sites remain, including the Battle of the Britain Memorial Flight.*

*From 14-18 NOW leaflet

The art installation entitled ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ is currently being planted in the moat around The Tower of London, the last poppy will be planted on the 11th November.

marking one hundred years since the first full day of Britain’s involvement in the First World War. Created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins, with setting by stage designer Tom Piper, 888,246 ceramic poppies will progressively fill the Tower’s famous moat over the summer. Each poppy represents a British military fatality during the war.

The poppies will encircle the iconic landmark, creating not only a spectacular display visible from all around the Tower but also a location for personal reflection. The scale of the installation intends to reflect the magnitude of such an important centenary creating a powerful visual commemoration.

On my visit in mid August despite not being complete the artwork was stunning! Standing above the field of growing poppies I was able to see volunteers planting poppies under the watchful eye of Yeoman Warder Bill Callaghan.

I plan to return to see the almost complete installation a few days before the last poppy is planted.

• A gallery of photos that I took when I visited The Poppies in the Moat can be viewed here.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle as we entered the breakfast room. The man in front of us was insisting his room was booked off on the breakfast sheet. When we were seated a man came and sat next to us and when asked his room number he used the same room number as the man who was insisting that he was ticked off on the list as we were entering. I got the impression that the man (who sat next to us) may have been freeloading…  Some of the breakfast items were in short supply, the bread and the mixed berry bowl were almost empty when we arrived and had not been refilled by the time we left. The toast did not arrive again and had to be re-ordered!

After breakfast we headed off to see the poppies in the moat at Tower Bridge. This is an art installation in progress entitled ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’. The first poppy was planted on 4th August and the last poppy will be planted on the 11th November.

marking one hundred years since the first full day of Britain’s involvement in the First World War. Created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins, with setting by stage designer Tom Piper, 888,246 ceramic poppies will progressively fill the Tower’s famous moat over the summer. Each poppy represents a British military fatality during the war.

Although not yet complete the artwork is stunning! I hope to return a few days before the last poppy is planted.

After we had enjoyed the moat we headed off for the Royal Observatory. When we arrived we found it was rather chaotic with no clear ticket booking system.  The confusion was added to by a temporary Steam-punk art exhibition in among some of the more permanent displays. It also took a while for us to figure out that the people queuing in the middle of the courtyard weren’t queuing to get in, they were queuing to be photographed by an artwork on the prime meridian!

The ticket included entry to a temporary exhibition ‘Ships, Clocks & Stars – The Quest for Longitude’. This exhibition was excellent and being familiar with the history of the quest for longitude it was fascinating to see the instruments and replicas that were involved.

After such a hectic day it was good to be able to put my feet up and relax in the hotel before catching a taxi to Kitchen W8 for our evening meal. When we openened the door to our room (at 5.30pm) we were rather surprised to find the curtains closed, the bedside lights on and a single chocolate on each pillow…

On arrival at Kitchen W8 we were offered an aperitif, perhaps we would like champagne? A perfect option to celebrate the birthday of a gentleman reaching a certain age. The food was delicious, the waiter attentive and always asking before pouring more wine. A perfect end to our stay in London.