Tower of London remembrance 2018 brought thousands of individual flames to the moat for the centenary of the First World War Armistice. I went to see the installation on a wet November evening, starting in Whitehall and travelling across London to Tower Hill.
The film premiered on 11 November 2018. In the opening, I describe the national ceremony as taking place the following day, placing this walk on the evening of 10 November. Rain, queues and umbrellas shaped the visit, and the camera records the glimpses I could get.
Watch my Tower of London remembrance 2018 visit
A rainy evening in Whitehall
I began near the Cenotaph, with rain falling onto the streets around Whitehall. In 2018, Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday fell on the same date. The following morning would mark one hundred years since the Armistice that ended the fighting in the First World War.
In the film, I talk about remembrance and the ceremonies planned for the next day. The Cenotaph provides the starting point for the journey. Later, the camera returns to its illuminated stonework and the reflections on the wet road.
Before leaving the area, I picked up a paper poppy. However, the rain was heavy enough that I decided to put it on later. It was a small practical detail on an evening devoted to remembrance.
From Westminster to Tower Hill
Next, I headed for Westminster station to take the Tube to Tower Hill. The walk passed the streets around Parliament, with the rain continuing as I made my way underground.
At the other end of the journey, the riverside lights came into view. The film includes the Thames and Tower Bridge before turning towards the Tower itself. Beyond the visitors, the dark walls stood above the points of light in the moat.
Beyond the Deepening Shadow
The installation was called Beyond the Deepening Shadow: The Tower Remembers. Designer Tom Piper and sound artist Mira Calix created the tribute, which filled the moat with individual flames. It ran over eight nights, ending on Armistice Day 2018.
Seen from outside, the flames traced the ground beneath the Tower walls. The scale of the building made each small light stand out. Even from a distance, the gathering of flames gave the moat a striking appearance after dark.
This was an act of remembrance, and my visit offered only a partial view. The photographs here come directly from that rainy evening’s footage. They preserve the darkness, the distant lights and the visitors gathered around the site.
Crowds, umbrellas and a glimpse of the moat
The crowds were enormous. With umbrellas raised against the rain, getting a clear view was difficult. At one point, I explain that the best view available to me is on the large screen nearby.
The screen showed the ceremony and installation above the heads of the crowd. Meanwhile, the camera caught a few views across the moat itself. These moments show both the tribute and the experience of trying to see it on a busy evening.
Towards the end, I describe the long queue and the limited glimpse I had managed to find near the gift shop. I could not see the whole installation. That limitation is part of this record of the visit.
Remembering in the city
The closing sequence returns to the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Its warm lighting reflects on the rain-soaked road, bringing the film back to where the journey began.
Together, the Cenotaph and the flames at the Tower give this short film its focus. It records London on the eve of the Armistice centenary, through a personal journey between two places of remembrance.
