Bayeux Tapestry RETURNS to Britain after 900 years as iconic 230ft masterpiece depicting 1066 conquest loaned by France
The treasured masterpiece that depicts the Norman Conquest will be sent to the British Museum
next
year on loan from France.
3
People look at the 'Bayeux tapestry' or 'Queen Mathilde tapestry' which relates Britain's conquest by William the Conqueror
Credit: AFP
3
The Sutton Hoo Helmet, part of the Sutton Hoo treasure, British Museum, London, England, UK
Credit: Alamy
3
The Bayeux tapestry depicts the events of the Norman Conquest
Credit: AP
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President
It will see the 230ft tapestry temporarily exchanged for artefacts from the Sutton Hoo ship burial.
The Bayeux tapestry depicts the events of the Norman Conquest, which would see William The Conqueror take the English throne from Harold Godwinson following the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
It is widely believed to have been made in Kent in the 11th century.
The tapestry draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year where it is currently displayed in
France
.
Director of the British Museum, Nicholas Cullinan, said: "The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most important and unique cultural artefacts in the world, which illustrates the deep ties between Britain and
France
and has fascinated people across geographies and generations.
"It is hard to overstate the significance of this extraordinary opportunity of displaying it at the British Museum and we are profoundly grateful to everyone involved.
"This will be the first time the Bayeux Tapestry has been in the UK since it was made, almost 1,000-years-ago.
Most read in The Sun
"We are also delighted to send the Lewis Chessmen, and some of our treasures from Sutton Hoo - the greatest archaeological discovery in Britain - to France in return.
"This is exactly the kind of international partnership that I want us to champion and take part in, sharing the best of our collection as widely as possible, and in return displaying global treasures never seen here before."
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The Sutton Hoo artefacts were discovered on a seventh century Anglo-Saxon ship in the 1930s.
The Bayeux tapestry will be displayed at the British Museum between September 2026 and July 2027.
This exchange will coincide with the 1,000th anniversary of William the Conqueror's birth in 2027.
Culture secretary
"This loan is a symbol of our shared history with our friends in France, a relationship built over centuries and one that continues to endure.
"The British Museum is one of the world's most visited museums and is a fitting place to host this most treasured piece of our nation's history."
Macron had previously agreed to loan the piece back to Britain in 2018 when Theresa May was PM, but it never materialised.
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