Back to its roots for the Bayeux Tapestry. Under tight security, this thousand-year-old wool embroidery on linen, depicting William the Conqueror’s rise to the English throne in 1066, left Normandy on Thursday 9 July. Its destination is London and the British Museum, where it will be on display from 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027.
Since 19 September, it had been kept under strict secrecy just a stone’s throw from Bayeux Cathedral, inside the Museum of Art and History. From 6 pm on Thursday, several dozen people took turns to oversee its transfer to the other side of the Channel. The tapestry reached London early on Friday, at around 3 am, after travelling in a double container specially designed to minimise vibrations and maintain a constant temperature of 20 °C.
After a necessary acclimatisation period, the Bayeux Tapestry will be installed in the Sainsbury Exhibition Gallery at the British Museum, the French Ministry of Culture has said.
A sign of the value of this unique piece, the United Kingdom has pledged to pay £800 million (around €917.9 million) in the event of major damage. The country has also agreed to lend France items from the Sutton Hoo treasure – funerary furnishings belonging to a 7th-century Saxon leader – as well as Renaissance drawings. Including transport and exhibition, the cost of the operation is put at around €20 million, to be borne in full by the British.
