HistoryExtrahttps://www.historyextra.comHome of Britain’s bestselling history magazine and award-winning podcast2026-10-21T12:14:32.000Zhourly12000-01-01T12:00+00:00The Bayeux Tapestry has returned to the UK – and this is how you can see ithttps://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/bayeux-tapestry-british-museum-exhibition-tickets/2026-10-21T10:00:33.000ZThe Bayeux Tapestry is being displayed in the UK as part of a landmark exhibition at the British Museum in London.
The embroidery is normally housed at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Normandy, but a historic agreement was reached with the French government for the artefact to be loaned to the UK while its home museum undergoes renovation.
Running for 10 months, the exhibition offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity for audiences to see the Tapestry in the British capital.
When is the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition open?
The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opened at the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery at the British Museum on 10 September 2026 and will run until 11 July 2027.
For the first time, the Tapestry is being displayed flat and in one continuous length inside a specially constructed showcase, allowing visitors to appreciate its full scale and intricate detail as never before.
How to get tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition
Following the 21 October ticket release, the next batch of tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry can be booked via the British Museum website in early 2027, for viewings between April-July 2027. The precise date of for this ticket release hasn't yet been confirmed.
This will be the final batch of tickets released before the exhibition ends and the embroidery returns to France.
How much do tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition cost?
Tickets range in price from £25 to £33, through a tiered pricing structure based on the day and time of visit. Children under 16 go free if accompanied by paying adults.
What do visitors see inside the exhibition? What else from the Norman Conquest period is shown alongside the Tapestry?
The exhibition not only presents the Bayeux Tapestry in its entirety, but also sets it within the wider context of 11th-century England and Normandy.
Objects from the British Museum’s own collection and other significant loans from across the UK and Europe are displayed, offering fresh perspectives on the people and events depicted in the embroidery. Key highlights include the Junius 11 manuscript, which influenced the Tapestry’s design.
- Read more | Michael Wood on women’s contributions to the Bayeux Tapestry
The story of the Bayeux Tapestry
Member exclusive | Join Dr David Musgrove for this video series for the HistoryExtra Academy, as he traces the threads of the 11th-century embroidery
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What to know before visiting the British Museum for the exhibition
The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition is already proving to be one of the most popular in the museum’s history.
Alongside the Tapestry itself, visitors can explore a range of digital elements designed to enhance understanding and engagement. Curators are hosting talks and special events throughout the exhibition run, while a programme of activities for schools and families ensures the Tapestry’s story reaches the widest possible audience.
How to read the Bayeux Tapestry: key scenes to look for
As you walk the length of the Tapestry, look out for its most famous episodes: King Edward the Confessor’s deathbed scene; Harold Godwinson’s fateful oath to William; the appearance of Halley’s Comet as an omen; the mustering of Norman ships; and the climactic battle of Hastings, where Harold is slain.
The Tapestry’s borders are filled with animals, fables and mischievous details that invite close inspection. Its ambiguous storytelling and sparse Latin captions leave much open to interpretation, making every visit a chance to discover new perspectives on this epic tale of conquest and change.
For more detail, you access our HistoryExtra Academy series on the subject: a six-part video lecture series, in which the majesty and mystery of the Tapestry is explored in full.
]]>An African king in the Roman empirehttps://www.historyextra.com/membership/an-african-king-in-roman-empire-podcast/2026-10-20T11:44:23.000ZHe was barely a toddler when he was paraded as a captive in a Roman triumph in 46 BC, but young North African prince Juba went on to marry a daughter of Antony and Cleopatra, and rule an African kingdom. Andrew Kenrick, author of Rex Juba: 15 Glimpses of an African King, unravels his amazing life, in conversation with David Musgrove.
]]>The Bayeux Tapestry: secrets of the stitchershttps://www.historyextra.com/membership/the-bayeux-tapestry-secrets-of-the-stitchers/2026-09-29T11:27:07.000ZMia Hansson has spent 10 years making an exact replica of the Bayeux Tapestry. In conversation with Dave Musgrove, she explains what her modern remake experience can teach us about the women who made the original artefact in the 11th century, and the secrets she has spotted in her decade of close attention to the embroidery
]]>Why the Nazis loved the Bayeux Tapestryhttps://www.historyextra.com/membership/why-the-nazis-loved-bayeux-tapestry-episode-6-video/2026-09-22T08:02:01.000ZWhat happened to the Tapestry after the Norman conquest? In the final episode of this HistoryExtra Academy, Dr David Musgrove considers the long and surprising afterlife of this most famous of medieval embroideries.
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Enjoyed episode six? Find more episodes. Discover more episodes in our HistoryExtra Academy
Dr David Musgrove is content director of HistoryExtra, and expert and co-author (with Michael Lewis) of The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry.
]]>The mysteries of the Bayeux Tapestryhttps://www.historyextra.com/membership/the-mysteries-of-the-bayeux-tapestry-academy-episode-5-video/2026-09-22T08:01:33.000ZWhy does the Bayeux Tapestry include an image of a man squatting naked? And what about the birds and horses in the embroidery – what can they tell us about 11th-century beliefs?
David Musgrove looks to the margins of the Tapestry, and unravels some of the mysteries held in the borders of the work.
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Enjoyed episode five? Find more in episode four. Discover more episodes in our HistoryExtra Academy
Dr David Musgrove is content director of HistoryExtra, and expert and co-author (with Michael Lewis) of The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry.
]]>Who made the Bayeux Tapestry?https://www.historyextra.com/membership/who-made-the-bayeux-tapestry-academy-video-episode-4/2026-09-15T09:54:45.000ZMillions of people have viewed the Bayeux Tapestry since its creation in the 11th century. But what was the medieval embroidery actually for? Who had it made, and who was supposed to look at it?
In episode four, Dr David Musgrove considers these key questions.
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Enjoyed episode four? Find more in episode three. Discover more episodes in our HistoryExtra Academy
Dr David Musgrove is content director of HistoryExtra, and expert and co-author (with Michael Lewis) of The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry.
]]>The Bayeux Tapestry’s ‘big moment’https://www.historyextra.com/membership/the-bayeux-tapestrys-big-moment-academy-video-episode-3/2026-09-15T09:51:56.000ZJoin us as we resume the story of the action in the Bayeux Tapestry, when a momentous matter between 11th-century rivals Harold and William comes to a head.
In episode three, Dr David Musgrove turns to one of the embroidery’s most crucial scenes.
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Enjoyed episode three? Find more in episode two. Discover more episodes in our HistoryExtra Academy
Dr David Musgrove is content director of HistoryExtra, and expert and co-author (with Michael Lewis) of The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry.
]]>The Bayeux Tapestry blockbuster at the British Museumhttps://www.historyextra.com/membership/the-bayeux-tapestry-blockbuster-british-museum-podcast/2026-09-09T11:50:36.000ZThe Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum is set to be the biggest historical event in decades.
In conversation with David Musgrove, its curator Michael Lewis gives the lowdown on what the exhibition is all about, and how you should make the most of your trip if you do get a ticket to the show.
]]>The Bayeux Tapestry: what is it, why was it made and what story does it tell?https://www.historyextra.com/membership/5-bayeux-tapestry-facts-what-is-it-why-was-it-made-and-what-story-does-it-tell/2026-09-09T08:00:18.000ZThe Bayeux Tapestry tells one of the most famous stories in British history – that of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, particularly the battle of Hastings, which took place on 14 October 1066.
The Bayeux Tapestry is not a tapestry at all, but rather an embroidery. It is some 68m long and is composed of several panels that were produced separately and then eventually sewn together to form one long whole. It was most likely made in England by English embroiderers, and while we do not have a precise date for when the Bayeux Tapestry was created, the academic consensus is that it must have been produced very soon after the events it depicts.
What story does the Bayeux Tapestry tell?
The action actually starts a couple of years before the set-piece battle of Hastings, with a discussion between England’s King, Edward the Confessor, and his leading noble (who was also his brother-in-law), Harold Godwinson.
The upshot of that conversation is that Harold sets off on a ship to France. He is shipwrecked and captured by a local nobleman there, and then is transferred into the hands of the powerful Duke William of Normandy. Curiously, they then head off together on a military adventure in Brittany, which Harold seems to enthusiastically take part in.
The story of the Bayeux Tapestry
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Harold’s time in Normandy ends with him making an oath to William on holy relics. The tapestry does not explain precisely what the nature of the oath is, but other Norman-inclined sources tell us that Harold was swearing to be William’s man in England and to uphold his bid to be king on Edward’s death.
Harold then goes back to England and has another meeting with Edward the Confessor. We don’t know what they talk about, but it’s presumably discussing his stay in Normandy. Then Edward dies, and Harold is declared king by the English nobles. A comet shoots through the sky, which is deemed to be a bad omen for Harold.
Then the action swings back to Normandy. William hears of Harold’s accession and immediately starts building a fleet. The ships cross the Channel and the Norman army establishes itself on English soil. They are shown pillaging, feasting and fortifying their position. Then we get to the battle of Hastings itself, which is portrayed in considerable detail. The upshot of course is that King Harold is slain, with the defeated Englishmen being shown fleeing the field in the last scene of the tapestry.
The ending is abrupt and many people have pondered on whether the tapestry was not actually finished, or has lost its final frames at some point over the centuries. If so, the end panels might have shown William being crowned king of England, as that was the ultimate consequence of the Conquest.
Why is the Bayeux Tapestry important?
The tapestry contains a considerable amount of information not only about the political events surrounding the Conquest story, but also about other aspects of military, social and cultural history.
Historians of clothing have gleaned much about Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman garment styles and fashions from the depictions shown in the tapestry, while academics interested in early medieval ship-building, sailing and carpentry have likewise learnt much from the sections dealing with the construction and voyage of William’s invasion fleet.
Military historians have studied the arms and armour shown in the tapestry and analysed the battle scenes to learn more about military techniques and practice at the time. Architectural experts have also been able to interrogate the tapestry for information about building types and materials in the 11th-century from the portrayals of the various structures shown in the story.
So the tapestry is a rich source of information on many aspects of Anglo-Norman life, society, culture and history. But more than that, it’s an astounding and amazing survival of a work of art that is almost 1,000 years old. Its significance derives as much from that as from what it tells us when we study it.
Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry
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How old is the Bayeux Tapestry?
We do not have a precise date for when the Bayeux Tapestry was created but the academic consensus is that it must have been produced very soon after the events it depicts. This means that it is a key primary source for students of the Conquest period.
Who commissioned the Bayeux Tapestry?
This is a question that has been much discussed by historians over the years. Given the fact that the tapestry broadly celebrates and sanctions William’s Conquest of England, for a long time it was considered to have been the work of his wife, Queen Matilda, and the ladies of her court. That view is out of favour now, and the majority of historians would agree that the most likely patron was Odo of Bayeux, the half-brother of Duke William.
Odo was a key supporter of the duke and a substantial landowner in both England and Normandy after 1066, as well as being the bishop of Bayeux.
The biggest pointer towards Odo’s likely patronage of the tapestry is that he has a disproportionally large role in the events portrayed, compared to his appearance in other historical accounts of the Conquest. It seems that the designers are going out of their way to stress the importance of Odo in the narrative. On top of that, the key oath scene in which Harold swears to William is depicted in the tapestry as having taken place in Bayeux (Odo’s bishopric), which conflicts with other documents that say the event happened elsewhere in Normandy. Plus, aside from the main historical figures, there is the curious mention of several otherwise insignificant characters in the tapestry, and their names match those of men we know to have been Odo’s retainers.
Other candidates are also in the frame, though: Edward the Confessor’s widow, Queen Edith, has been suggested. She also features in the tapestry and would have had cause to want to show herself in a good light to William after the Conquest, so what better way than commissioning a tapestry that supports his claim to the throne?
Alternatively, it might have been made on the orders of William himself. Clearly he would have been keen to have a permanent record of his victory and his right to have claimed the throne.
- Read more | Who made the Bayeux Tapestry, and why?
Is the Bayeux Tapestry a reliable source of information?
Is any historical primary source of information entirely reliable? No – unless you understand the context of the time in which it was produced, and the motives of those producing it. That’s why the question of who had the tapestry made is critical in helping us to interpret what it tells us.
The most likely candidate as the patron of the tapestry is the Norman nobleman Odo of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror. However, layered on top of that is the likely fact that the actual design and embroidery work was probably done in England, by English hands.
So, although the tapestry is on the face of it a work of art designed to celebrate and legitimise William’s conquest of England, there is also an undercurrent of sympathy to the defeated Anglo-Saxon cause running beneath it. In some ways, the tapestry appears to agree with the Norman narrative of events, as described in the work of writers such as William of Jumieges and William of Poitiers. However, it is also surprisingly respectful of William’s enemy, King Harold II, who is shown as a great and brave lord, rather than just a deceitful usurper.
What’s important to note is that as a source of information on the political events to the Conquest period, the tapestry actually offers very limited definitive evidence. The Latin inscriptions that run above the pictorial narrative are terse and limited in number. This ambiguity means we do not know, for instance, what Edward the Confessor and Harold are discussing in the first scene of the story. Nothing is said other than ‘King Edward’ above the frame, so we are entirely in the dark about the meeting and must infer from other sources as to what the designers are trying to tell us. That is a problem that persists throughout the tapestry, where we are constantly invited to infer what is happening from the pictures, rather than being told what is happening with words.
What was the Bayeux Tapestry used for?
This is a difficult question to answer, if we are focusing on the immediate post-Conquest period, because we have no evidence whatsoever to call upon.
Assuming that the patron of the tapestry was, as is widely accepted today, Bishop Odo of Bayeux, then it may have been used to decorate the cathedral that he had constructed in Bayeux during his lifetime. It may even have been designed as an ornament for the consecration of that building in 1077, though some historians dispute that.
Presumably whoever did have the tapestry made would have wanted others to come view it and share in the story it tells, as well as be impressed by the magnificence of both the patron (for being the benefactor of such a great work), and of Duke William himself for orchestrating his victory.
Where might the Bayeux Tapestry have been displayed?
If it was displayed in a cathedral, illumination would have been dim to say the least. The tapestry could perhaps instead have been displayed in a secular building, or it could have been displayed temporarily and then stored away, maybe being brought out for particular gatherings, when there was someone on hand to tell the story in person as well.
How has the Bayeux Tapestry survived since 1066?
What we do know is that from at least 1476 onwards, the tapestry was held in Bayeux Cathedral (we don’t know where it was prior to that) because it’s detailed in an inventory of that date. It was traditionally brought out for display in the cathedral at a certain point in the year, and then stored away.
This helps to explain why the tapestry survived at all – it wasn’t on permanent view and thus not subject to the risks of being regularly exposed to the elements.
As we move forward into more recent times, the tapestry has continued to have a propaganda purpose. Napoleon considered it important when he was readying his plans to invade Britain at the start of the 19th century and had it brought to Paris for display. In the Second World War it was again deemed a useful tool by the Nazis, where it was studied as part of a research project to demonstrate the Germanic origins of European culture (and moved to Paris for safe-keeping).
View Green Video on the source website]]>Politically embarrassing to politically powerful: how the Bayeux Tapestry became a tool of diplomacyhttps://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/bayeux-tapestry-exhibition-burnham-macron-diplomacy/2026-09-08T16:07:49.000ZBritain’s new prime minister Andy Burnham made a droll observation at the British Museum, during the speeches to commemorate the visit of King Charles III and President Emmanuel Macron to the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition on Wednesday 2 September. But it didn’t really make sense.
He talked about how the Tapestry shows “a new leader emerging from a northern territory travelling to the south of England in search of the crown. Clearly something that couldn’t happen today”.
Obviously, he was drawing a knowingly self-deprecating comparison to his own recent journey to power, though I’m not sure who he was actually comparing himself to. Presumably he was thinking of William the Conqueror, though Normandy is to the south of England, so the northern territory he’s thinking of is, I guess, an acknowledgment of the Scandinavian origins of the Normans (the foundation story of Normandy, of course, goes back to the year 911 and Rollo, a Norse warlord, being granted the duchy from the king of France). If that’s the case, our new prime minister is well-informed about northern European early medieval history, so that’s great to hear.
- Read more | Politics and the Bayeux Tapestry: the inside story of the blockbuster loan
However, what he overlooked was the fact that the Tapestry pointedly omits an actual northern leader invading in 1066, but failing in his bid to secure the crown. The Norwegian king Harald Hardrada led a force into Yorkshire, along with Tostig, the disaffected brother of England’s King Harold.
Hardrada won one battle against the Anglo-Saxons, at Fulford, but then was soundly defeated in a second clash, at Stamford Bridge, by King Harold himself. Both Hardrada and Tostig died on the field, along with a huge number of their men, so much so that the river ran red with their blood. Neither Fulford nor Stamford Bridge is shown in the embroidery.
A very selective history
We tend to think that the Bayeux Tapestry gives a full account of the events of 1066. It is, after all, almost 70 metres long, so has ample space to cover the details. However, that’s clearly not the case, as its exclusion of these two northern battles shows. That is because it’s designed with a very specific political purpose in mind – namely to offer a justification for William’s invasion of England.
The Tapestry sets up the story of 1066 as a binary clash between Harold and William, with Harold perjuring himself after making a sacred oath to support William’s claim to the throne, and thus giving William the reason he needed to launch his invasion fleet. Including any other possible contenders to the throne, such as Hardrada or indeed Edgar Ætheling (the closest blood relative to the previous king, Edward the Confessor), would have muddied the picture that the Tapestry was presenting.
So it’s always had this political dimension, and clearly the current story of the loan has a political dimension too. President Macron has been the driving force behind making it happen. It required, in his words, a “willing suspension of disbelief” to get it done, in the face of substantial concern about the wisdom of allowing such a venerable and fragile artefact to travel across the Channel.
It’s fascinating, then, to see current politics play out with the Tapestry as the backdrop. The loan is part of a coming-together of Anglo-French relations in the aftermath of Brexit, and an effort to salve the wounds after the bitter recriminations it produced on both sides of the Channel.
Bringing enemies together
Would the original Tapestry designers have imagined it might have brought people in Britain and France together almost a millennium after they made it? I doubt it, but there is a theory that the embroidery’s original intent was to allow a space for both the vanquished and the victors of 1066 to come together and find common ground after the battle. It might have been part of an effort by Duke William and one of his leading lords, Odo of Bayeux (William’s half-brother and the most likely candidate to have been the Tapestry’s patron), to get the Anglo-Saxons on side in the new Norman regime.
The deliberate vagueness of the Tapestry’s narrative – and its very terse Latin captions – allows for multiple interpretations of the same scenes, depending on how the viewer wants to see what’s shown. England’s Harold gets a pretty positive portrayal in the first half of the Tapestry, at least (before he makes his fateful oath), so there is a world in which you can imagine military men from both sides of the conflict assembling inside some Norman keep to look at the Tapestry and reflect together on what they’ve been through, but with space for all to remember what happened slightly differently.
If Brexit has taught us anything, it’s that you need to fudge things to get through challenging and complex relationships, and the Tapestry offers a masterclass in fudgery. How else could people move on from the massive social dislocation that resulted from Hastings, if not by skirting around some of the issues and allowing recollections to vary of what had just happened?
Past its sell-by date
There was only a brief window of time in which William was interested in bringing together the defeated and the winners. It probably wasn’t long before he had become less interested in justifying why he was right to depose Harold, and more interested in dealing with the aftermath of his actions.
The Norman Conquest was not a one-and-done thing (even though the Bayeux Tapestry might have us believe that), and there were numerous rebellions against Norman rule by the restless Anglo-Saxons. After a brief period of trying to accommodate and understand, by the end of the 1060s, William was laying down a very heavy hand on his new subjects. The Harrying of the North was the ultimate response, and the campaign of destruction wrought on northern England in 1069 and 1070 left the area devastated for years.
- Read more | I'm an expert on the Bayeux Tapestry and this is the important truth behind it that we need to remember
So it’s quite possible that the Tapestry was politically obsolete as soon as it was finished. We don’t know how long it took to make, but if we consider that the Ladies of the Leek Embroidery Society spent a year or so on their replica version in the 1880s (and they had a design to work off and weren’t operating in a war-torn environment), then it surely can’t have been any faster for the original embroiderers.
That replica is now on show in Reading Museum, and is worth a visit if you can’t get to the British Museum (or do both in a day with a quick trip along the Elizabeth Line). If the stitching work started as early as 1067, by the time it was finished, the situation on the ground might well have moved on markedly, and perhaps the Tapestry was politically redundant as the last panels were being embroidered.
That might explain why the Tapestry has survived today. Maybe it was just quietly put in a chest and forgotten about, because it wasn’t hitting the right vibe in the fast-moving world of Anglo-Norman relations. It could have been quietly shipped off to Bayeux straight away, put in the corner of some quiet room, and largely forgotten about for the next few centuries.
I was asked to commentate for BBC News and Sky on the visit of King Charles and President Macron as they toured the Tapestry. I’ve never tried my hand at punditry, but it was fascinating to listen in on the chat that the two heads of state had as they walked down the line.
The king cracked a gag about the French bringing wine with them on their invasion fleet, and the president nodded appreciatively. I did wonder whether this would have been the sort of chat expected from Anglo-Saxon earls and Norman lords in the 1060s, too, as they studied the embroidery.
But if this sort of bonhomie was intended in the 11th century, perhaps it never happened if the Tapestry was indeed past its sell-by date as soon as it was finished. I was a little disappointed that none of the dignitaries seemed to make reference to the graphic sex scenes in the Tapestry, as I’m sure that the post-Hastings viewers would have acknowledged the various nude vignettes.
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Anyway, in the speeches after the tour, much was made by both sides of how the Tapestry is a symbol of the long and durable Anglo-French relationship. It undoubtedly is that, so it was fascinating to think about how the original conflict story might have been designed to encourage comradeship too – but a comradeship that didn’t come to pass.
Macron’s masterstroke
President Macron is clearly a wily political operator. He’s been in place in the Élysée Palace for the entire story of the Bayeux Tapestry loan. He announced it back in 2018, and he’s outlived a succession of British prime ministers. He’s rightly recognised that the Tapestry means a lot more to us here in the UK than it does to much of France.
I’ve been asked by a few perplexed French journalists to explain why we’re getting so excited about the Tapestry coming here, because if they were asked to pick a key date in their national story, the people of France would, I’m sure, plump for 1789 over 1066. William of Normandy is a peripheral figure in the French historical narrative.
So Macron has clocked that this means a lot to us, and he’s expended a bit of his own political capital in making the loan happen – the “willing suspension of disbelief” that he talked about is surely code for having to deal with a lot of objections on his side of the Channel. But he’s done it with purpose because he has seen the soft power of this artefact, and the diplomatic win he’s got from it is surely going to give him leverage in moving forward with a more productive Anglo-French relationship.
So, if the Tapestry’s miraculous survival today is in part due to it being politically embarrassing in the 11th century, it’s all the more interesting that it’s being used as a tool to get over recent political embarrassments in the 21st century. More power to the Tapestry.
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