St Albans Cathedral was filled with illuminated poppies over the weekend to mark the centenary of the First World War.

Herts Advertiser: The Poppy Fields installation at St Albans Cathedral. Picture: Sally MassonThe Poppy Fields installation at St Albans Cathedral. Picture: Sally Masson (Image: Sally Masson Photography)

The Poppy Fields installation saw record-breaking numbers of people visit the Cathedral to remember loved ones and those lost in conflict.

Lichfield Cathedral’s artistic director Peter Walker created the touring installation, which featured more than 2,000 names of local soldiers who served in the armed forces and falling rose petals over the shrine of St Alban.

The installation was accompanied by a ‘sound artwork’ which included four readings of WWI poems by actor Eddie Redmayne.

Rev Dr Jeffrey John, the Dean of St Albans Cathedral, described the installation as “uniquely moving” and said: “We are very grateful to the creators of this superb presentation, to the generous sponsors who supported it and to the many volunteers who worked so hard to make it possible.”

More than 8,000 people attended the installation. Rev John said: “We were very sorry that the crowds on Friday night meant we had to turn some people away.

“We were humbled by the numbers who wanted to attend and had to respond quickly to ensure crowd safety.”