London (AFP) – In the dead of night on Friday, a large yellow truck led by a police escort made its way through the empty streets of London. Unbeknownst to late night stragglers, it was carrying a 1,000-year-old masterpiece: the Bayeux Tapestry.
Issued on: 10/07/2026 - 09:24
3 min Reading time
The hushed-up, nighttime operation was the result of years of negotiations, tricky logistical planning and multiple technical studies to ensure the integrity of the medieval artwork.Fears for the safety of the lace-like delicate tapestry, which has been insured by the British government for an eye-watering £800 million (over $1 billion), meant that the date and details of the transfer were kept under wraps until the last moment.It is believed to be the first time the 68-metre (224-foot) embroidered tapestry has left France in more than 900 years, and the first time it has been moved in over 40 years.But after two test trips with a full-sized reproduction of the tapestry, the operation appeared a well-oiled machine."It's been a huge amount of work for my colleagues here at the museum and in France. So, I think we'll all be very relieved to see it arrive safely," project curator Millie Horton-Insch told AFP as she awaited the tapestry.The artwork, which chronicles scenes from the 1066 Battle of Hastings and the start of the Norman Conquest of England, was held in a shock-proof and temperature controlled case to protect the delicate embroidery.
