Joy as Fort Nelson poppy sculpture draws in more than 50,000 visitors

Bosses at the Royal Armouries site in Fareham have praised the ‘amazing’ public response to the display since it was built last month.

Made up of hundreds of ceramic flowers, the work was created by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper as part of the 14-18 NOW UK-wide tour, marking the centenary of the First World War.

The drive has seen the poppies take pride of place at a number of destinations relevant to the conflict.

Reflecting on the public reaction to the sculpture, operations manager at Fort Nelson, Nigel Hosier, said: ‘It has been amazing to see how the public are interacting with Wave.

‘We have been truly taken aback by the positive feedback received and it is moving to see how the sculpture resonates with so many people.

‘Fort Nelson is a particularly poignant location due to its role as a training base for soldiers during the First World War and we can see the public are immersed in the atmosphere of the fort when visiting Wave.

‘We are grateful to 14-18 NOW for awarding us this opportunity.’

Since it was kick-started in 2015, sculptures made up of the campaign’s poppies have been displayed at 14 locations and have been viewed by nearly 4m people.

Wave will remain at Royal Armouries Fort Nelson until June 24, as part of the final year of 14-18 NOW’S UK-wide tour of the flowers.