London's sold-out Bayeux Tapestry exhibition will open Thursday to a British public gripped by "mania" as the medieval artwork depicting the Norman conquest of England goes on display outside France for the first time. The British Museum will open its doors after months of growing anticipation, heightened by the tapestry's high-security July arrival in London and last week's royal preview for the king and queen alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. The unprecedented loan from France, the result of years of diplomacy and set to last until next July, has been hailed a symbol of renewed cross-Channel ties following the rancour of Brexit.
Previous plans to loan the tapestry – this panel shows depicts King Harold's death – were aborted in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and in 1966 for the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. © Adrian Dennis, AFP
Long online queues formed for the first tranche of tickets released on July 1, which were snapped up within hours. The British Museum has so far sold a record 100,000 tickets, which cost £25-£33 ($34-$45) for adults. The Times newspaper called the exhibition a "spine-shivering experience" that has sparked "Tapestry-mania" in Britain, while the Economist dubbed it the "hottest ticket" around. Depicting the 1066 Battle of Hastings and the invasion by William the Conqueror's Norman army, the tapestry has shadowy origins. It is widely thought to have been made in England almost 1,000 years ago before being transferred to Bayeux in France. 'Symbol of trust' Many in the UK see the loan as the tapestry coming home, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham having called it a "return". King Charles III said the temporary transfer was a "a precious symbol of trust at a time when trust seems sadly to be in short supply between nations".
