Special conservation and security measures are in place to ensure the safety of the tapestry.
Thousands of people have queued to see the Bayeux Tapestry as it went on public display in Britain for the first time since it was created almost a thousand years ago.
Visitors from across the globe flocked to the British Museum, queuing in lines snaking around the building after the tapestry returned to British soil from France.
The woven record of the Norman conquest is on loan to the UK until September next year, with the King, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Andy Burnham welcoming the loan agreement at a special VIP viewing last week.
On Thursday ordinary members of the public were able to view the priceless artefact, considered to be one of the wonders of the medieval world, offering an insight into life in 11th century England both before and after the conquest – from castles, warfare and ships to clothing, food and furniture.
Among the crowd to see the public unveiling were Bill and Martha Wallace, self-described “history buffs” who had travelled more than 3,000 miles from their home in Connecticut in the US.
Carol and Scarlett Heselwood, from Watford, were also lucky enough to be among the ticket holders for the first day’s public viewing, with an estimated 7.5 million people expected to visit the exhibition at the British Museum.
Special conservation and security measures are in place to ensure the safety of the 70-metre long tapestry, while it is in the UK.
It was likely to have been commissioned by a Norman patron and made by English embroiderers, using manuscript drawings from Canterbury.
Michael Lewis, one of the four curators of the exhibition, said: “1066 is, of course, one of the most important events in English history, and the tapestry is the ultimate reflection of that in terms of a visual narrative.
“Some people see it as akin to a graphic novel or a cartoon or something like that, it’s immediately recognisable.
“When they look at it, they can get it straight away. It’s not like a dusty history book where it’s quite hard to decipher.
“There’s action going on, and even if you don’t understand all of the story, you enjoy it.
“So, I think that’s what makes the Bayeux Tapestry such an important thing. And, of course, the fact that the French state has allowed it to come to the UK and be displayed at the British Museum is an enormous act of diplomacy.
“So, it’s a fantastic thing to have happened, and I’m just so happy that it’s happened in my lifetime.
“I think people will be talking about this for generations and generations, that they were there in London to see the Bayeux Tapestry when it came to this country, and hopefully they’ll be inspired to go to Bayeux as well.”
Tickets to the exhibition are sold out until the next release on October 21.
The Bayeux Tapestry is at the British Museum from September 10 to July 11 2027.
