Dead-of-night operation brings famed Bayeux Tapestry back to Britain after nearly 1,000 years

London —

Under police escort in the early hours of Friday, the Bayeux Tapestry arrived back in Britain after an absence of almost 1,000 years.

The journey that the world-famous 11th-century artwork took to arrive at the British Museum in London, where it will be on display between September and July 2027, was executed with military precision after intense planning on both sides of the English Channel.

Stretching to 70 meters long (230 feet), the tapestry is not actually a tapestry at all but an embroidery of dyed wool stitched onto a bleached linen background.

Created 960 years ago, it depicts the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, which saw William the Conqueror seize the throne from Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.

London —

Under police escort in the early hours of Friday, the Bayeux Tapestry arrived back in Britain after an absence of almost 1,000 years.

Stretching to 70 meters long (230 feet), the tapestry is not actually a tapestry at all but an embroidery of dyed wool stitched onto a bleached linen background.

Dead-of-night operation brings famed Bayeux Tapestry back to Britain after nearly 1,000 years | CNN

Dead-of-night operation brings famed Bayeux Tapestry back to Britain after nearly 1,000 years | CNN

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