Final poppies removed from Tower of London are installation Tower of London moat filled with nothing but mud and rain water after volunteers remove the last of the poppies Five million people went to see display, with Tower Hill tube station closed at one point because of overcrowding Artists Paul Cummins and Tom Piper, who designed project, have been tipped for OBEs in new years honours list For months the awe-inspiring display of poppies which filled the moat at Tower of London has wowed the nation - while also tugging at the heart strings of the millions who visited it. But today the display was reduced to mud swept lands and seas of brown after volunteers removed the final flowers leaving nothing behind but a patch of trampled earth. The artwork, devised by Paul Cummins who also did work for the Paralympics, served as a site of pilgrimage for the five million people who saw it before Britain paid tribute to its war dead this Remembrance Day, 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War. Mud swept land: This was the scene at the Tower of London today as the display of ceramic poppies has all-but disappeared from the moat Before: A team of volunteers has spent days removing the 888,246 flowers - each on representing the life of a British or Commonwealth soldier killed during the First World War Gone: The flowers, almost off of which have now been removed, have been sold to raise money for the Royal British Legion and will now be packed and posted to the buyers Memorial: Only two parts of the display will remain, the Weeping Willow (pictured) and the Wave, which rose over the walkway into the Tower, which will stay until the end of the month before touring museums around the country until 2018 Each of the 888,246 ceramic poppies, representing the number of British and Commonwealth troops killed in the conflict, will now be packaged and mailed to those who bought one, helping to raise money for the Royal British Legion. While the work is unlikely to ever be brought together in its entirety again, the Weeping Willow section - which poured from one of the Tower's windows - and the Wave - which vaulted over the Tower's entrance - will stay in place for the rest of this month before being toured around the UK until 2018. Meanwhile Mr Cummins and fellow artist Tom Piper have been tipped to receive OBEs for services to the arts in the Queen's new year honours list. Mr Cummins previously spoke about how the memorial display was inspired by an unknown soldier from his home town and by a poem, the first line of which reads: 'The blood swept lands and seas of red, / Where angels dare to tread'. Seas of brown: A workman inspects the muddy moat at the Tower of London as volunteers removed the last of the poppies earlier today Crowded out: Around five million people visited the display in the run up to Remembrance Sunday - with the crowds so thick at one point that Tower Hill tube station was shut - but they have all gone now Special delivery: The poppies will now be packed up and sent off to buyers with the money being used to support the Royal British Legion Easy does it: A volunteer carries one box of the ceramic flowers away from the Tower of London as the last of the poppies are removed He was also seriously injured in the making of the work, crushing his hand in a ceramic roller, leaving him with no middle finger and without the use of his index finger. Among the visitors to the memorial were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who came to walk among the flowers in August just as the display was taking shape. Also in line to pay their respects were Prince Harry, and the Queen and Prince Philip. Starting from July 17, a team of around 17,500 people helped put the poppies in place, leading up to Armistice Day when cadet Harry Alexander Hayes, 16, planted the final flower. Lest we forget: Cadet Harry Alexander Hayes salutes after planting the last poppy on Armistice Day, completing the installation In remembrance: The artwork, designed by Paul Cummins, was inspired by an unknown soldier from his home town who wrote a poem which begins 'The blood swept lands and seas of red, / Where angels dare to tread' Permanent: The Wave section of the display (pictured) will tour the UK until 2018 when it will be given over to the National War Museums along with the Weeping Willow to form part of a permanent collection Paying respects: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the display on August 5, shortly after the poppies began being planted Royal remembrance: The Queen and Prince Philip also walked among the poppies in October, as the display neared completion Previously, Mr Cummins has said: "I read through wills of First World War soldiers and came across one man who said everyone he knew had been killed. Back to normal: A groundsman at the Tower does his best to repair the moat after hundreds of volunteers worked to remove the poppies Top honours: Following the display, Mr Cummins and fellow artist Tom Piper have been tipped for OBEs in the new years honours list