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The Tower of London has announced a very special event that’s happening at the historic castle next year. In ‘Superbloom’, the moat that surrounds the historic building will be filled with tens of thousands of wild blooms to create a spectacular, summer-long display. Visitors will be able to wander through the installation, a rare opportunity for Londoners and visitors to experience a country meadow in the very heart of the capital.
‘Superbloom’ is being created to commemorate the Queen’s 2022 Platinum Jubilee, which will see her having been on the throne for a remarkable 70 years. It will begin with the sowing of 20 million seeds next spring, from carefully chosen varieties of wild flowers. Them from June until September, ‘Superbloom’ will emerge, change in character and balance and finally disappear. It will be like a very slow firework display with no jump scares. The piece will be enhanced with sculptures and sound installations, and is also designed to attract bees, butterflies (and presumably things that eat bees and butterflies).
‘Superbloom’ also harks back to the 2014 installation at the Tower, ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’, which saw 800,000 ceramic poppies ‘planted’ in the moat to memorialise the centenary of the outbreak of WWI. It was a stunning and moving piece that attracted tens of thousands of visitors.
Hopefully, this new installation will have all of the power of those poppies with none of the tragic associations (though maybe avoid if you’re a hayfever sufferer).
‘Superbloom’ opens Jun 1 2022 and runs until Sep 18. Tickets are available here.