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Bayeux tapestry crosses Channel in dead of night for historic UK exhibition
The Guardian • • world
Key Points:
- The Bayeux Tapestry has returned to England for the first time in nearly 1,000 years, arriving at the British Museum on a year-long loan from France.
- The 11th-century embroidered artwork, depicting the events leading to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, was transported in a climate-controlled, shock-absorbing case under heavy security after years of negotiation and planning.
- The exhibition, opening in September and running until July 2027, is expected to attract about 7.5 million visitors, with unprecedented demand for tickets following its announcement.
- French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy hailed the loan as a symbol of enduring friendship and cooperation between France and the UK.
- The tapestry, believed to have been commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux and sewn by English women, has mostly been housed in Bayeux, Normandy, since the 11th century except for brief periods in Paris.
