The Bayeux Tapestry, a 70-metre-long embroidered linen depicting the Norman Conquest, has arrived at the British Museum in London for the first time in nearly 1,000 years. The tapestry was transported overnight from France, with the Metropolitan Police Service and Kent Police escorting it from Folkestone to London. The British Museum described the loan as “one of the most significant international museum loans ever undertaken between the two countries.”
Exhibition details and ticket demand
The tapestry will be on display from September 10, 2026, to July 11, 2027. Around 7.5 million people are expected to see it. The British Museum reported that demand has been “unprecedented,” with tickets sold out until the end of 2026. When general admission tickets went on sale last week, the museum recorded its single biggest day of ticket sales, generating more than £2.4 million in the first 24 hours.
Condition checks and installation
Over the coming weeks, the tapestry will undergo condition checks before being carefully installed in a custom showcase. The British Museum has worked with the Ministry of Culture (General Directorate of Heritage and Architecture and the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of Normandy), the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and transport company Hizkia to arrange the move.
Quotes from officials
Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the British Museum, said: “This has been a monumental effort from colleagues at the British Museum and our partners in the UK and France. Watching the Tapestry arrive at the Museum is a moment I will never forget and I look forward to seeing the exhibition take shape over the coming weeks and welcoming the first visitors through our doors this September.” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in The Times that the loan shows what the two countries “can achieve when they join forces,” calling it a “tangible expression of long-standing friendship and a sign of our shared desire to see France and the United Kingdom build their future together.”
History of the tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the 1066 Norman invasion and Battle of Hastings, which saw William the Conqueror take the English throne from King Harold. It has been on display at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Bayeux, Normandy, since 1983 and will return there after the museum reopens following renovation.
How to get tickets
Tickets for the exhibition are sold out until the end of 2026. Further tickets for 2027 will go on sale later this year. To receive updates, sign up for the British Museum newsletter. There is a maximum of 10 tickets per booking, and multiple bookings from the same email address will be cancelled. Tickets can only be used by the booker, and ID may be checked on arrival.
The British Museum has introduced a priority booking process for Members to see the tapestry in 2027. An individual membership costs £82. Members will have two priority booking windows: October 2026 for January to March 2027 dates, and January 2027 for April to July 2027 dates. Each Member can book two separate visits at no additional cost, plus a 10% discount for further visits during public opening hours. For queries, email friends@britishmuseum.org.
