Bayeux Tapestry unveiled to UK public for first time at British Museum

Image source, Reuters By Paul Glynn , Culture reporter and Jacob Phillips , BBC News , Reporting from From the British Museum Published 10 September 2026 The Bayeux Tapestry has gone on public display in the UK for the first time since it was created nearly 1,000 years ago.

It was originally embroidered in England but kept for centuries in France, and tells the story of the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The 70m (230ft)-long 11th Century tapestry is being loaned to the British Museum while its usual home in Normandy, France undergoes renovation.

Doors at the museum opened at 10:00 BST, with shield-wielding re-enactors in costumes from the era waiting outside.

Image source, PA Image caption, People queued outside the museum for their chance to see the tapestry