Remembrance Sunday: Soldier silhouettes set up at Blenheim Palace

Life-size silhouettes of 200 soldiers have been set up at Blenheim Palace to mark Remembrance Sunday.

The installation, set up to raise funds for the Royal British Legion, is laid out by the Column of Victory and also features 75 poppy wreaths.

The "Standing with Giants" figures were made from recycled building materials by Witney-based artist Dan Barton.

Heather Carter, the palace's operations director, called it a "fitting tribute".

She said: "As a result of the coronavirus, many of the planned parades and services to mark Remembrance Day have had to be cancelled.

"We wanted to do something that would still mark the occasion and help raise awareness of the ongoing need to support our veterans and the amazing work being carried out by the Royal British Legion.

"Now, more than ever, the assistance they can provide is sorely needed and we hope Dan's extraordinary figures will serve as a fitting tribute to all the fallen and a reminder of the terrible cost of conflict."

The palace in Oxfordshire is a World Heritage Site and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

It was used as a rehabilitation hospital for World War One soldiers, and a secret testing ground for landing craft in the run up to D-Day in World War Two.

The Column of Victory was erected in 1730 and commemorates John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough.

The palace was built to celebrate Britain's victory over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession and completed in 1733.

The 6ft (1.8m) tall silhouettes will remain in place for two weeks.