Summary

Are you going to the exhibition?

'Absolutely magnificent': First visitors react to seeing the Bayeux Tapestry

Live Reporting

Edited by Imogen James and Freya Scott-Turner with Jacob Phillips reporting from the British Museum

  1. Second viewing didn't disappoint, but tapestry 'better high up' than laid flat

    Jacob Phillips
    Reporting from the British Museum

    A person views the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum in LondonPA Media

    The embroidery is being displayed flat at the British Museum, a requirement of the loan

    Earlier I spoke to Richard Sammuel as he queued outside the British Museum.

    We’ve reunited in the gift shop outside the exhibition after he saw the tapestry for the first time in around 25 years.

    He tells me all the details are just as rich. "It was very much as I remember it. It was just in a different position," he says.

    Sammuel praises the interactive elements of the exhibition and the graphics surrounding the tapestry but he says he barely noticed them as he was so gripped by the embroidery.

    He explains, thanks to his sparse Latin, he was able to help tell the story to the people around him.

    But despite the historic occasion he’s not sure it beat his first visit to see the tapestry.

    "To be honest I think it was better high up. I think that was how it was meant to be."

    The Bayeux Tapestry has been laid flat for the exhibition but in France it is held up and curves around.

  2. Analysis

    Why the scene of one fleeing Anglo Saxon woman stayed with me

    Katie Razzall
    Culture editor

    The most powerful scene in the tapestry for me is scene 47, titled Hic Domus Incenditur or Here a House is Set on Fire.

    You see two Norman soldiers torching a building, with the flames already crackling off its roof. And in front of the house there is a woman holding the hand of a child and leading him away.

    I couldn’t stop looking at that scene and imagining how the woman who embroidered it might herself have experienced the Norman Conquest and the horror of war just a few years before she worked on the tapestry.

    If her own house hadn’t been destroyed by soldiers, she may have had friends whose homes were burnt, or she may have lost menfolk in the Battle of Hastings or later rebellions.

    The destruction, the fear, the pain, the violence and the fact that as a woman she had little agency as men battled over English land is all embroidered into that scene.

    There are only six women in the entire artwork.

    For me this fleeing Anglo Saxon woman is a reminder of all the women who will have lived through the horrors of the time, but whose stories are almost entirely missing from the tapestry.

    Scene 47 of the tapestry shows Norman forces setting a house on fireBayeux Museum

    Scene 47 of the tapestry shows Norman forces setting a house on fire

  3. In pictures: The Norman army arrives in England

    A banner reads "tapestry retold" with a red timeline beneath it. A section is labelled "you are here" and signposts that the reader is around two thirds of the way through the tapestry

    While visitors at the British Museum journey through the Bayeux Tapestry in person, we're retelling some of its key moments here. We've just passed the halfway mark - see our previous post.

    William of Normandy is furious that Harold Godwinson has taken the throne. He gathers a massive army of Normans and they cross the Channel to England.

    The French forces land at Pevensey Bay near Eastbourne on 28 September 1066 and make their way to Hastings. They set up camp for a while - enjoying what appears to be a Middle Ages take on a barbecue - and set homes on fire.

    From here they will march inland to meet the Anglo-Saxon army.

    Scene from the Bayeux Tapestry showing the Norman army sailing across the English ChannelThe Bayeux Museum

    The Norman army sailing across the English Channel

    A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry showing men eating a banquet at a dining tableBayeux Museum

    The Norman army enjoys its first meal on English soil

    A map showing the coastal point where the French forces landed at Pevensey Bay in 1066, then marks where they march along the coast to Hastings and finally inland to where the Battle of Hastings was fought.

  4. Follow the eyes and squawking birds: Tips for getting the best viewing experience

    Jacob Phillips
    Live reporter

    A number of figures in the Bayeux Tapestry look afraid as they point at something above themBayeux Museum

    Figures often tell you where to look in the Bayeux Tapestry

    Medieval archaeologist David Musgrove, who co-wrote the book The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry, has seen the embroidery at least six times and spent weeks at a time studying the art piece using online resources and books.

    The author, who is also the content director of the HistoryExtra magazine and podcast, tells me seeing the tapestry with your own eyes allows you to decide where each scenes starts and ends rather than someone who may have a different lens or view to you.

    Here are his tips for looking at the tapestry:

    • "Get your face close to it": The tapestry is being displayed flat for the first time, meaning visitors can get right up to the art piece
    • Follow the eyes and hands of the figures: Figures often help signpost to viewers which characters and captions are important
    • Pay attention to the animals in the tapestry's borders: Birds start to squawk more and animals appear more animated as the action ramps up

  5. Moody lighting and a dramatic mezzanine: What you see when you first enter the exhibition

    A side view of visiting looking at the Bayeux Tapestry as it goes on display to the public at the British Museum in London. A quote from Henry of Huntingdon is visible above, saying the words: "In the year of grace 1066, the Lord the ruler carried out what he had long contemplated for the English: he delivered them for destruction to the violent and cunning Normans."Reuters

    As we heard from our culture editor earlier, the first sight of the tapestry is from above, through a large opening on the mezzanine of the British Museum.

    The wall above the tapestry features a quote from Henry of Huntingdon taken from his most notable work, Historia Anglorum, first published in the 12th Century.

    In the year of grace 1066, the Lord the ruler carried out what he had long contemplated for the English: he delivered them for destruction to the violent and cunning Normans.

    Henry of Huntingdon

    A blonde haired woman stares down at the Bayeux Tapestry lying flat in its display caseReuters
    A straight aerial view of visitors looking at the Bayeux Tapestry as it goes on display to the public at the British Museum in London. A quote from Henry of Huntingdon is visible above, saying the words: "In the year of grace 1066, the Lord the ruler carried out what he had long contemplated for the English: he delivered them for destruction to the violent and cunning Normans."Reuters

  6. 'It gave both of us goosebumps'

    Jacob Phillips
    Reporting from the British Museum

    A couple both wearing blue tops stand side by side outside the wooden doors of the British Museum gift shop

    Cecilia and Fabio Zanini

    History buffs Cecilia and Fabio Zanini have been completely wowed by the scale of the Bayeux Tapestry.

    "I was amazed by the vibrancy of the colours. The detail of the characters," Cecilia tells me. "It gave both of us goosebumps."

    Fabio says he was constantly looking left and right to see all the action and he was surprised by the scale of the tapestry, particularly the number of Norman boats and cavalry.

    "It feels like you're in the battlefield," he adds, praising the "real sense of movement" in the embroidery.

    "It really allowed you to go back to 1066", he says.

    The couple, who moved from Brazil to London 10 years ago, first learnt about the Norman Conquest when their daughter went to school and agreed it felt like a full circle moment now being able to see the tapestry.

  7. 'History mad' 10-year-old 'incredibly excited' to see tapestry

    Rozina Sini
    BBC Your Voice

    Jenna Pead and her 10-year-old daughter RemeneySupplied

    Jenna Pead (R) and her 10-year-old daughter Remeney

    Jenna Pead, a teacher in Amersham, is visiting the exhibition today with her "history mad" daughter.

    She says 10-year-old Remeney is "incredibly excited" and "can't wait to see the iconic part of King Harold with the arrow in his eye" - although some historians dispute whether the famous scene is actually him.

    "It was a bit of a mission to get tickets," Jenna says, adding that she was in the virtual queue "all day while taking a group of teenagers on a school trip to Greenwich".

    She says she was behind around 70,000 people and thought she'd "never get any".

    Purple banner with white writing on top which reads: "Your Voice"

  8. Harold becomes King of England - but watch the sky

    A BBC banner reads "tapestry retold". A sign reading "you are here" on a timeline signposts that the reader is just over halfway through the tapestry
    A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry shows Harold being coronated. There are characters nearby holding axes and a sword. Harold himself has an orb and he is wearing a crownBayeux Museum

    While visitors at the British Museum journey through the Bayeux Tapestry in person, we're retelling some its key moments here. In our previous post, King Edward the Confessor died - and it was uncertain who would take the English throne next.

    Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England.

    This is much to the ire of rival claimant William, Duke of Normandy, who - as we saw in an earlier scene from the tapestry - may have been under the impression the throne had been promised to him.

    But hang on... A comet is seen flying above the new King Harold.

    Nasa has since confirmed the comet was Halley's Comet, which passed within nine million miles of Earth in April 1066. The comet is visible from Earth roughly every 76 years.

    It can be identified in the tapestry by its distinctive tail and it is believed to be the first visual illustration of the comet, which was later named after British astronomer Edmond Halley.

    As depicted in the tapestry, observers in England saw it as a bad omen and can be seen gawking up at it.

    A screenshot of the Bayeux Tapestry showing a comet flying through the sky and people pointing at itBayeux Museum

  9. 'I cross-stitched a Bayeux Tapestry replica - it took 40 years'

    Mary McCool
    BBC Scotland News

    A man with glasses works away on a cross-stitch replica of the Bayeux TapestryIan Williams

    The work started out as a way to keep Ian Williams occupied on his daily commute

    Ian Williams began cross stitching a replica of the Bayeux Tapestry in the 1980s on his daily train commute as a way to pass the time.

    He was after a “bigger project”, after deciding he had made enough cushion covers for his home.

    But it was not just about the needle work for Ian – it was about learning history.

    "It is such a relaxing hobby, it is the same movement over and over but you have to think about what colours you are using," he says.

    "You are literally studying the Bayeux Tapestry stitch by stitch," he says, adding that you can even see "mistakes in the original" such as lines that don't quite follow or parts of horses have been "squeezed in".

    Now aged 70, Ian will see his masterpiece go on display in Macduff, Aberdeenshire – coinciding with the real thing being loaned to the British Museum.

    Cross-stitched tapestry depiction of King Harold searing an oath.Ian Williams

    Ian's work is on show in Macduff at the same time the real tapestry is in London

  10. Didn't get a ticket to the exhibition? You have options

    The exterior of the British Museum with a big sign saying Bayeux TapestryLightRocket via Getty Images

    Tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum are currently sold out until the end of 2026. If you want to see it, but haven't been able to secure tickets - here are your options:

    • More tickets are coming: A second wave will be available from the British Museum website from 21 October, it will cover visits between January and March 2027
    • A free option: If you're aiming to keep the costs down there's a to-scale replica you can go and see in Reading Museum at the Bayeux Gallery
    • And from the comfort of your home: The Bayeux Museum has a full panoramic scan of the artwork on its website where you can follow it scene-by-scene.

  11. 'I was absolutely blown away by it': First museum visitors sing tapestry's praises

    Jacob Phillips
    Reporting from the British Museum

    Adrian smiles at the camera standing in front of bookshelves

    Adrian Harris was one of the first members of the public to see the Bayeux Tapestry since its long awaited return to British soil.

    "I'm not a very emotive or expressive person but I was absolutely blown away by it," he tells me moments after seeing the tapestry.

    The 42-year-old describes how he was taken aback when he had an uninterrupted view of the tapestry at the top of stairs at the start of the exhibition.

    He tells me it was a "real privilege" to be one of the first members of the public to see it in England.

    Harris, who works at Westminster Abbey, was particularly moved seeing the cathedral in the tapestry and the hand of God pointing down at it.

    He has seen Edward the Confessor's shrine at the abbey and was moved to see his story told in the tapestry.

    Harris was also particularly impressed by the detail and strange characters in the frieze of the tapestry.

  12. 'How ace is that?' Orkney couple delighted to be some of the first to see tapestry exhibition

    Rozina Sini
    BBC Your Voice

    Robert and his partner Katrina

    Robert and his partner Katrina

    Robert and his partner Katrina have travelled from one of Orkney’s outer north isles to see the Bayeux Tapestry, honouring a commitment made at the start of their relationship almost a year ago.

    "It was one of the first things we talked about so when this opportunity arose we just had to do it," Robert says.

    He's still not quite sure how they managed to get tickets for day one of the exhibition.

    "When we logged onto the website to get the tickets it said there were 30,000 people in front of me in the queue," he says.

    "Then I got a slot and didn't realise it was the first day. I thought magic, how ace is that?"

    Purple banner with white text which says: "Your Voice"

  13. Edward the Confessor dies after more than two decades on England's throne

    A banner reads the words "tapestry retold". A timeline beneath it signposts a section nearly half way along the tapestry. A sign reads "you are here".
    XXBayeux Museum

    While visitors at the British Museum are journeying through the Bayeux Tapestry in person, we're retelling some of its key moments right here. In our previous post, we set the scene.

    England's elderly king, Edward the Confessor, has died aged somewhere between 60 and 63 years old. England is now in mourning, and the future is unclear. This is what we know so far:

    What we know

    • Edward's death occurs at some point overnight between 4 and 5 January 1066, he is buried a day later at Westminster Abbey
    • He is survived by his wife Edith Godwinson - the sister of Harold - and remembered by medieval monks as a "gentle and peaceable man"
    • But Edward leaves no direct heirs to the throne

    What we don’t know

    • Who England's next king will be. Edward and Harold's hands are depicted touching on his deathbed in the Bayeux Tapestry, leading some to argue that Edward gave him the throne - but historians still debate this today
    • What the various claimants to England's throne - Harold Godwinson, William of Normandy, and others - will do next

  14. Nothing could have prepared me for my first look at the tapestry

    Katie Razzall
    Culture editor

    The Bayeux Tapestry pictured from above in its display casePA Media

    I’ve been preparing for this exhibition for months.

    I’ve read books and studied photographs of the tapestry. I was even lucky enough to witness the carefully choreographed unfurling from its case a few days after its arrival from France.

    But nothing prepared me for how I felt when I looked down on it for the first time, stretching the full length of the gallery.

    The first sight of it on display at the British Museum is from above, through a large opening on the mezzanine.

    The lights are dim to protect it but the colours are still so vibrant. To see the nearly 70m (230ft) long medieval masterpiece laid flat, with all of it visible at the same time, probably for the first time in history, is overwhelming.

    The 58 scenes embroidered on linen are an incredible undertaking, and I felt a powerful link with the embroiderers (most likely expert women in Canterbury or somewhere close by) who lived and worked on it nearly a millennium ago.

  15. 'Are you ready? Are you excited?' First visitors head inside to see tapestry

    Jacob Phillips
    Reporting from the British Museum

    Richard Sammuel pictured outside British Museum

    Richard Sammuel is among the first group seeing the tapestry

    The queue has quickly disappeared outside the British Museum as the first set of visitors to the Bayeux Tapestry are moved towards security.

    "Are you ready? Are you excited?" Shouted a member of staff from the museum.

    Likely one of the first members of the public to see the tapestry displayed on British soil is Jenny. She arrived at 08:00 BST having travelled two hours on public transport to make sure she beat any queues and got a historic spot.

    Jenny first saw the tapestry over 40 years ago in Bayeux but is excited to see it laid flat "without a curve in it". She is coming back in a couple of months to see the tapestry again.

    Richard Sammuel, 59, is also among the first group seeing the tapestry. The Hastings resident is thrilled to "get to see it in such an exciting way".

    He explains he also went to see the tapestry in Bayeux with his late father in the early 2000s. "There was no big fanfare," he says. Nothing like the camera and actors in medieval outfits here today.

    Sammuel explains he's excited to see the tapestry in more detail and to see Hastings Castle - featured in it - in much better condition than it is today.

  16. Bayeux basics: Five questions you're too afraid to ask

    Katie Williams
    Live reporter

    Famous scene from Bayeux Tapestry which some believe depicts Harold's death - although historians are not entirely sure it's himReuters

    What does the tapestry show?

    Think of it as a medieval comic strip showing events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the Norman Conquest of England.

    Famous scenes include the funeral of Edward the Confessor, whose death sparked a succession crisis, the building of ships as William of Normandy decides to attack England to claim the throne, and the death of King Harold Godwinson in battle.

    Is it a tapestry?

    No, technically it's an embroidery made of dyed wool stitched onto linen.

    When was it made?

    We don't know for sure, but many scholars believe it was made in or around Canterbury - probably by women. The British Museum notes that English women's needlework skills "were admired across Europe during this period".

    It's widely believed to have been made in the years after the Battle of Hastings - with some suggesting it was commissioned by William's half-brother Bishop Odo.

    Where is Bayeux?

    Bayeux is a town in Normandy in north-western France. The embroidery is usually housed in a museum there, but it closed for refurbishment last September, providing the opportunity for the tapestry to travel to London on loan until July 2027.

    How big is it?

    Almost 70m (230ft) long and 50cm (20in) high, but with backing fabric increasing this to 70cm in some places.

  17. In pictures: Re-enactors enter British Museum

    As doors open to the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, visitors in costumes that resemble 11th Century fashion are flooding the British Museum's gates.

    So far we've seen shields, helmets and (replica) weapons.

    People dressed as reenactors welcome members of the public to the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum in central LondonPA Media
    Staff in period costume wait to meet with ticket-holders as they queue before the opening of the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, at the British Museum in London on September 10, 2026, on the first day of the exhibition.Getty Images
    Staff in period costume talk with ticket-holders as they queue before the opening of the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, at the British Museum in London on September 10, 2026, on the first day of the exhibitionGetty Images

  18. An elderly king, a hostage, and a sacred oath

    A BBC banner reads "Tapestry untold". A timeline underneath signals "you are here" and shows that the reader is coming up to halfway through the tapestry

    While the first visitors at the British Museum are journeying through the Bayeux Tapestry in person, we're retelling some its key moments right here.

    The story begins with one of the most famous Englishmen ever - Harold Godwinson.

    He is the most powerful earl in England and the brother-in-law of Edward the Confessor, the elderly King of England.

    Around the year 1064, Harold departs for France on an unspecified mission.

    The Normans claim he has been sent to meet William, the Duke of Normandy, who has his own claim to the throne of England. But other sources believe he was on a rescue mission to recover family members held hostage by William.

    After landing in France, Harold is quickly captured and handed over to William - but the pair appear to get along. Harold joins William on a military expedition in Brittany and is showered with armaments by the duke.

    At Bayeux, he swears a sacred oath to William - or so the Normans say - supporting his claim to Edward's kingdom.

    Harold is pictured in the Bayeux Tapestry taking a sacred oath to WilliamBayeux Museum

    Harold is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry swearing a sacred oath to William

  19. Doors open to Bayeux Tapestry exhibition
    Breaking

    Moment Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opens to the public

    It's just gone 10:00 BST and the wait is over for excited ticket holders outside the British Museum.

    Doors are now open and the first people are heading inside to see the Bayeux Tapestry, on display to the public in the UK for the first time since its creation nearly 1,000 years ago.

  20. Queues grow ahead of Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opening

    We're getting more pictures from outside the British Museum, where people are queuing up for the long-awaited Bayeux Tapestry exhibition.

    Doors open imminently, at 10:00 BST.

    People wait in line outside the British Museum in central London as the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opens to members of the publicPA Media
    People wait in line outside the British Museum in central London as the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opens to members of the public.PA Media
    People wait in line outside the British Museum in central London as the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opens to members of the public.PA Media