Hundreds of thousands of custom-made poppy flowers adorn the lawn around the Tower of London in honor of the 100-year anniversary to the start of World War I. Thousands have arrived to observe the touching tribute, but the London landmark may have underestimated just how many would come to see it.
The Tower of London tweeted a request to future visitors to possibly delay their visit to see the "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" display that includes 888,246 red poppies. Each of the small flowers represents a British soldier killed between 1914 and 1918.
"We're advising people to postpone their visit to the Tower until after half-term [brief holiday] if possible, or to visit earlier in the day, before 10 a.m., or later in the day, after 6 p.m.," the message said.
The surge of visitors caused the nearby Tower Hill tube station, a London Underground station near the Tower of London, to close due to overcrowding. The mass of people around the castle walls go five to six deep as they all try to catch a glimpse.
"The stunning Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red display has caught the imagination of literally hundreds of thousands of people who desperately want to see this display before it comes to an end," Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon told BBC News. She found the closure of the station "appalling" because it hindered more from visiting the beautiful attraction.
The Tower of London normally receives about 2.9 million visitors every year, according to the Association of Leading Visitors Attractions. The number could skyrocket this year due to the recent spike in visitors, according to Mashable.
The installation opened on Aug. 5 and will be dismantled on Nov. 11, Armistice Day. The day is celebrated to mark the end of fighting between the Allies and Germany in World War I.
