08 Nov 2025
Niki Sykes visits St Albans Cathedral for the return of the Remembrance light show…
I moved to St Albans in 2002, shortly after the birth of my eldest son, with the Cathedral pretty much on our doorstep, visiting sporadically to pay respects and instil some culture.
Luxmuralis’ Poppy Fields light show was previously seen in 2018, but has returned this year for a revised interpretation of the Remembrance theme.
Essentially, Poppy Fields is an art installation of light, colour and music with the aim of immersing the senses and stimulating the emotions.
It brings together the symbolism of the iconic poppies seen in the battlefields of the First World War alongside the stories of participants, allowing a chance to reflect and honour those in conflicts past and present.
This year, I am in my fifth year of an Open University degree with the focus on Europe 1914-1989: War, Peace and Modernity – so there really was no excuse.
Like others before me, I have seen the pictures from the previous year and spoken to friends who have been, but I genuinely had no idea what to expect, and even afterwards it was difficult to find the words that do it justice…
With the clocks having gone back the week before, queuing outside in the dark somehow added to the experience.
Inside, the members of the clergy were warm, welcoming, respectful and extremely helpful throughout.
Arriving with wheels and having to negotiate almost vertical ramps in darkness is not something I would recommend for the faint of heart. Side note, the Cathedral does have ramped access throughout for those (like myself) that need it, I just think on this occasion I needed to eat more carrots and work on my night vision.
Inside, the building is illuminated only by candles and low-level lighting, which evoked the emotions immediately in a way I was not expecting.
I am not an expert in classical music but there was a soundtrack playing throughout the show, with each and every aspect of the Cathedral showcasing a different aspect of the First or Second World War.
The installation was divided into six very distinct sections. Firstly, as we entered the church, we were invited to sit on the pews to watch poets Sigfried Sassoon and Wilfrid Owen reflecting on the experiences and the sacrifices that they witnessed during the horrors of the Great War.
This led though to a spectacular representation of falling leaves, created to symbolise the 16 million civilian lives lost to both the First and Second World Wars combined, followed tribute to nursing, dating back to Florence Nightingale and following through to the present day. Thank you, NHS!
A section entitled The Second Day told the story of the outbreak of the First World War, with a roll of honour directly opposite submitted by the general public to honour their relatives in service who have lost their lives.
The show concluded with the entire space of the Nave filled with the most beautifully artistic representation of Poppy Fields before the audience was guided through events to the celebrations of VE Day and the end of the Second World War.
The whole experience took me just over an hour, but will stay with me for much longer and is a great reminder of the history and the horrors of war and generations past, what it is we remember and we honour each November, and why it is important that we do not forget.
It was very much an evocative and fully immersive kaleidoscope of colour and light that has stayed with me since and I daresay will do so for a while yet.
Going in, I did not know what to expect; coming out, it did not disappoint.
All photos by Toby Shepheard.
