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The Bayeux Tapestry’s hotly anticipated arrival on English soil has left the British Museum with a bit of a battle on its hands. Okay, no one’s lopping off heads or firing arrows into eyeballs, just yet. But the hordes of ticketholders are still pretty tricky to manage as they all contend for a spot in front of one of the world’s sexiest bits of embroidery. Now, the museum has introduced some new rules in an attempt to restore order.
In a recent statement, a museum spokesperson has said that the demand has been ‘extraordinary’ and acknowledged that some visitors have experienced delays. Ticketholders are each allocated a 40-minute slot to view the tapestry, but some people have been spending longer than that, causing a backlog. A fortnight ago, a ban on taking photographs was introduced, due to fears that it was slowing the flow of visitors. An audio announcement also encouraged people to keep moving through the one-way exhibition.
Still, issues remain for visitors to the blockbuster show. In a recent Reddit thread, one viewer complained that ‘constantly being chivvied along isn’t very fun’ and said that ‘people queuing for hours get rushed along, shouted at and told they can’t stop to read’. Other ticketholders described queuing for over two hours, or even being unexpectedly turned away due to fire alarms or corporate events. There were also complaints regarding a lack of signage, and curatorial explanation of the tapestry itself.
All the changes the British Museum is making to improve visitor experience
- A photography ban – visitors are asked not to take pictures, in order to keep people moving through the exhibition
- An audio guide – from Monday, a new audio guide will offer visitors more information about the tapestry
- An improved queuing experience – from Monday, additional seating will be available, as well as further signage
- Extended opening hours – there are plans to create longer opening hours, to prevent queues building up during the day, so that visitors with late afternoon timeslots will have more time to view the tapestry. These are yet to be announced.
Hopefully these measures should make the hottest exhibition of the year less of a battlefield to visit. And if not, you could always hang on until next year, when the tapestry will make its triumphant return to its more tranquil home in the French city of Bayeux.
The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition is currently sold out, but new tickets will be released on October 21 at 10am.
Read Time Out’s review of this ‘astonishing’ historical artefact here.
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