Poppies installation returns to Tower of London to mark VE Day 80 commemorations

The Tower of London will once again be adorned with poppies as a symbol of remembrance to commemorate VE Day's 80th anniversary.

Designer Tom Piper will create the installation, which will use nearly 30,000 original ceramic poppies, on loan from the Imperial War Museums' collection, according to Visit London.

The main installation will resemble a wound at the centre of the Tower of London with poppies flowing out over the lawn.

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In 2014, a similar installation, Blood Swept Lands and Sea of Red, created by artist Paul Cummins and Mr Piper, marked a century since Britain's involvement in the First World War.

The commemorative art installation used 888,246 poppies to gradually fill the moat around the Tower.

More than 20,000 people helped to place the scarlet flowers on the historic building in central London and millions went to see the striking art to remember the fallen.

The poppy is the recognised emblem of peace and sacrifice, most famously portrayed in John McCrae's iconic poem, In Flanders Fields.

The poet wrote about finding poppies in the fields that were previously the scene of brutal warfare.

The Tower of London, which was built during the reign of William the Conqueror in the 1070s, was hit in the Blitz.

The main poppy installation inside the Tower of London can be seen from 6 May to 11 November this year.

Visitors will be able to see a part of the display for free, although full access is available with the purchase of a standard ticket to the Tower of London.