MASTER PIECE Bayeux Tapestry arrives in London ahead of landmark British Museum exhibition

The Bayeux Tapestry has arrived in London after leaving France for the first time in more than 900 years ahead of a historic exhibition at the British Museum.

The world-famous 70-metre medieval embroidery completed an 11-hour, 350-mile journey under police escort before arriving safely at the museum, where it was carefully unloaded.

Museum conservators will now allow the tapestry to acclimatise over several days before it is unpacked and prepared for public display.

The extraordinary artwork, on loan from its home in Bayeux, Normandy, will go on display at the British Museum from 10 September until July 2027.

The museum expects the exhibition to become one of the most visited in its history.

Medieval masterpiece tells story of 1066 conquest

Widely regarded as one of the world’s most important historical artefacts, the Bayeux Tapestry depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066, culminating in William the Conqueror’s victory over King Harold II.

Despite its name, the tapestry is technically an embroidered cloth rather than a woven tapestry and has survived for more than nine centuries.

First overseas loan in more than nine centuries

The loan marks the first time the tapestry has left France in over 900 years.

Previous attempts to bring it to Britain—including proposals for Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation in 1953 and the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1966—never came to fruition.

Before this journey, the tapestry had only left Bayeux on two occasions, both to be exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

It was displayed there in 1803 on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte, and again in 1944 as a tribute to British and American troops involved in the liberation of France during the Second World War.

£800 million insurance cover

The tapestry’s home, the Bayeux Museum, is currently undergoing a €38 million refurbishment, which is expected to be completed in 2027, creating the opportunity for the landmark loan.

Its transportation has prompted concern among some historians and conservators, including the late artist David Hockney, who questioned whether such a fragile textile should be moved.

While on display in Britain, the Bayeux Tapestry is being protected by a UK Government indemnity estimated to be worth around £800 million.

The exhibition is also being supported through a sponsorship agreement with hedge fund founder Igor Tulchinsky.

The British Museum says the exhibition will offer visitors a rare opportunity to see one of the most significant surviving works of medieval art outside France for the first time in history.