Crowds Queue at British Museum as Bayeux Tapestry Goes on Public Display

Hundreds of people queued outside the British Museum in London as the Bayeux Tapestry went on public display in Britain for the first time since its creation almost a thousand years ago. The 70-metre long woven record of the Norman conquest is on loan to the UK under a special trilateral agreement involving the UK, France, and the museum. The loan agreement was welcomed last week at a special VIP viewing by the King, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

On Thursday, ordinary members of the public were able to view the priceless medieval artefact, which offers an insight into 11th-century English life both before and after the conquest, depicting castles, warfare, ships, clothing, food, and furniture. It was likely commissioned by a Norman patron and crafted by English embroiderers using manuscript drawings from Canterbury. Special conservation and security measures are in place to ensure the safety of the tapestry while it is in the UK.

Visitors from across the globe attended the opening, including history buffs who travelled over 3,000 miles from Connecticut in the US, as well as ticket holders from Watford. According to the museum, 1,900 tickets were booked for the opening day, with an estimated 7.5 million people expected to visit the exhibition. Tickets are currently sold out until the next release on October 21.

Michael Lewis, one of the exhibition's four curators, highlighted the historical importance of the 1066 event and described the tapestry as an immediately recognisable visual narrative. He noted that the French state allowing the artefact to come to the UK and be displayed at the British Museum represents an enormous act of diplomacy.