The Bayeux Tapestry, a nearly 1,000-year-old embroidery depicting the 1066 Norman invasion of England, has arrived at the British Museum. This marks the first time the historic artwork has been displayed in England since its creation. Its journey from France involved a high-security operation, with the tapestry driven into the British Museum's loading bay in the dead of night, chaperoned by a police guard.
The loan of the 70-meter-long (230-foot) tapestry has been a significant cultural event, with French President Emmanuel Macron offering it as a gesture of trust and friendship between France and the UK. However, the decision to loan the fragile artifact has not been without controversy in France, with a petition protesting the move garnering nearly 80,000 signatures, calling it a "heritage crime." The UK government has indemnified the tapestry for £800 million ($1.1 billion), though some experts believe this valuation might be too low.
The exhibition, running from September 10 until July 2027, has generated immense public interest, with the British Museum selling a record 100,000 tickets on the first day of sales. The tapestry is displayed flat, a requirement of the loan, with a mezzanine allowing visitors to view the entire work. The loan coincides with renovations at the tapestry's usual home in Bayeux, Normandy, where it has been exhibited since 1983.
