Tower of London moat slide to mark Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The slide will be one way into the moat, where visitors will be able to enjoy a floral extravaganza

The Tower of London is installing a moat slide for visitors to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The four-lane, 17.5m slide will make up part of the new "Superbloom" display, which will see the moat filled with "a vibrant sea of flowers".

The installation is part of the historic palace's celebrations to mark the monarch's 70 years on the throne.

Historic Royal Palaces said it wanted visitors "to arrive in the flowers with a sense of occasion and fun".

A field of ceramic poppies filled the moat in 2014

Tom O'Leary, a director at Historic Royal Palaces, said: "What better way to do that than entering the Tower of London's moat via a huge slide?

"We're thrilled to be bringing some joy, colour and spectacle to the Tower of London in 2022, in celebration of Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee.

"We hope that this thriving new landscape, surrounding London's formidable fortress, will celebrate the power of nature to unite us all."

The moat has hosted a number of temporary attractions in the past, most famously a ceramic poppy display in 2014 and a sea of 10,000 flames in 2018 to mark the centenary of the start and the end of World War One.

William the Conqueror had the stone tower at the centre of his London fortress built in the 1070s

Those visiting the cultural site during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations can grab a mat and zip down into the moat - although the slide will not be the only way into the moat to admire the flowers.

The slide was originally commissioned by the National Trust for Cliveden House.

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Superbloom is the first stage of a permanent change aimed at bringing more biodiversity to the area around the Tower, right in the heart of London.

Gardeners are planting 20 million seeds in the Tower's moat in a scheme designed to attract bees and seed-eating birds.

Historic Royal Palaces hopes the display will change colours and patterns throughout the summer.