Poignant poppy display coming to Yorkshire city

Hull will host part of the spectacular sculpture of ceramic poppies next year which drew huge crowds to the Tower of London in 2014.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Oct 2016, 11:36 BST
Updated 25th Oct 2016, 20:28 BST
Artist Paul Cummins with his Weeping Window sculpture made of ceramic poppies at St Magnus Cathedral in Orkney, Scotland, earlier this year. The sea of ceramic poppies, first seen at the Tower of London, is coming to Hull next year.Artist Paul Cummins with his Weeping Window sculpture made of ceramic poppies at St Magnus Cathedral in Orkney, Scotland, earlier this year. The sea of ceramic poppies, first seen at the Tower of London, is coming to Hull next year.
Artist Paul Cummins with his Weeping Window sculpture made of ceramic poppies at St Magnus Cathedral in Orkney, Scotland, earlier this year. The sea of ceramic poppies, first seen at the Tower of London, is coming to Hull next year.

Weeping Window will be on display at Hull’s Maritime Museum from March 22 to May 29, during the city’s year of culture.

The commemorative sculpture is part of the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation, which was made up of 888,246 poppies - one to honour every death in the British and Colonial forces of the First World War.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The museum formerly the city’s Dock Offices, was an obvious location for the tribute, and will highlight the sacrifices made by sailors both in the Merchant and Royal Navies in WW1.

It bore witness to mass recruitment of the Hull Pals during First World War who gathered in Queen Victoria Square.

The building has witnessed victory celebrations and funeral processions past its doors, including that of the E13 British submarine crew killed in neutral Danish waters in 1915.

Weeping Window, made up of thousands of poppies, has since been on tour to Orkney, Lincoln Castle and Perth, as part of 14-18 NOW’s UK-wide tour and is about to open at Caernarfon Castle.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Coun Terry Geraghty, Chair of Hull Culture & Leisure Limited, said: “We are delighted and honoured that Hull has been chosen to host this significant and commemorative installation.

“The beautiful listed Maritime Museum is the perfect location. With its strong maritime history and local connections it has a great poignancy.”

Jenny Waldman, Director of 14-18 NOW, said: “The poppies have captivated millions of people across the UK, and we are delighted to present Weeping Window at the Maritime Museum in Hull in 2017 as part of the ongoing tour.

“Artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper have created two enormously powerful artworks of national significance that continue to inspire all who see them.”

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, which hosted Wave, another part of the original installation, saw its visitor numbers soar 46 per cent to 638,907, after it went on display in 2015.

Related topics:HullYorkshireTower of London