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It has safely made the journey across the English Channel, it’s been carefully unfurled over 18 painstaking hours, it’s been placed inside its enormous custom-made case and this month the Bayeux Tapestry officially goes on display at the British Museum.
The 70-metre-long medieval artwork, which depicts the 1066 Battle of Hastings, is on loan to the museum while its permanent home (the Bayeux Museum in France) undergoes renovations. After several failed attempts to bring it over during the 20th century, this is the first time the artefact has been on British soil in 900 years.
Suffice to say, the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum is a major deal. Nicholas Cullinan, the director of the British Museum called the piece ‘one of the most important and unique cultural artefacts in the world’. Its residency in London could well be a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Here’s how you can see the exhibition for yourself.
When is the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum?
The public will finally be able to see the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum from September 10. It’ll stay there until July 11 2027.
What to expect at the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition
The centrepiece of the exhibition is, obviously, the Bayeux Tapestry. Rather than being hung up like it is at the Bayeux Museum in France, the piece will be displayed flat in a specially made showcase in one continuous length for the first time in its history.
Items from the British Museum’s own collection and on loan from other institutions will support the show and help to put the tapestry into the broader context of medieval England and the Norman Conquest. An illustrated manuscript has been loaned by the University of Oxford for the exhibition. It’s believed to have been borrowed by the tapestry's creators for their depictions of clothing, ships and items of everyday life. There’ll also be a charter of Edward the Confessor of 1060, which has been witnessed by several individuals who appear in the tapestry including King Edward 'the Confessor' and Harold's sister, Queen Edith.
Visitors will enter the exhibition via a mezzanine, allowing them to see the entire thing in one go from above. You’ll then follow a one-way path to get a closer look at the work. The whole experience should last roughly 40 minutes.
How to get tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum
Tickets to see the exhibition from September to December are all sold out. The next ticket release will be on October 21. They’ll be for dates from January 1 until March 31. Tickets for April to July will go live in early 2027. Sign up for updates here.
British Museum members will get early access to the next ticket release from October 6.
How much are tickets?
Standard adult tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum are £33. Off-peak tickets are £27 for adults and super off-peak (term-time weekdays from 3.30pm to 4.20pm) are £25.
How to get discounted tickets
Students aged 16 to 18, jobseekers and disabled visitors get discounted tickets for the exhibition, as do holders of a National Art Pass. Here’s the lowdown
- Off-peak (without donation): £27
- Off-peak (with donation): £30.50
- Super off-peak (without donation): £25
- Super off-peak (with donation): £28.50
- Students aged 16 to 18, jobseekers and disabled visitors: £25
- Art Pass (off-peak): £13.50
- Art Pass (super off-peak): £12.50
How to get free entry
Everyone aged 16 or under can see the tapestry for free, as long as they visit with an adult. Bosses at the museum said they made the decision as the tapestry is part of the history curriculum for Key Stage 3.
You can also get free entry if you are a British Museum member. Memberships start from £82 for the year and offer free access to all of the venue’s paid exhibitions.
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