Latest news with #SuttonHoo
The Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
France's Bayeux Tapestry to return to Britain after 900 years
The Bayeux Tapestry will be loaned to the British Museum in London from September 2026 to June 2027 in exchange for medieval items from the archaeological treasure of Sutton Hoo. Photo: AFP France will lend Britain the Bayeux Tapestry, allowing the 11th century masterpiece to come back across the Channel for the first time in more than 900 years, in a show of friendship to mark President Emmanuel Macron's state visit. King Charles welcomed Macron for a three-day trip on Tuesday, aimed at celebrating the return of closer ties between London and Paris after Brexit, with the loan of the tapestry a symbol of kinship between the neighbours. Britain will in exchange loan France Anglo-Saxon and Viking treasures, in a deal to be announced by British culture minister Lisa Nandy and her French counterpart Rachida Dati later on Tuesday, a government statement said. While the precise origins of the 70m long Bayeux tapestry are obscure, it is said to have been the work of English embroiderers, whose stitching tells the story of the Norman invasion in 1066, and most famously the arrow which hit England's King Harold in the eye. The Bayeux Tapestry is displayed in this undated handout photo taken at the Bayeux Museum in Bayeux, Normandy, France. Photo: Reuters In the years after William the Conquerer took the English throne, the tapestry was taken to France, where it has remained, displayed at the Bayeux Museum in Normandy since 1983. "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," said British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan. The artwork will be shown at the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027, the statement said, while museums in Normandy, northern France, will host Britain's Sutton Hoo collection, consisting of metal artworks including helmets, shields and spoons from the seventh century. The French will also borrow Britain's Lewis Chessmen, a collection of chess pieces thought to have been crafted in Norway in the 12th century and found on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. - Reuters
Metro
3 days ago
- Politics
- Metro
Delays and diplomacy: Inside Starmer's migrant deal announcement with Macron
I'm used to delays at official events involving world leaders. But I don't normally know exactly what the world leaders are up to while I wait. Today was different – as I waited in a lecture theatre at Northwood base in north-west London, I knew Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron were a short distance away in a conference room, leading a video conference call with the 'Coalition of the Willing'. They must have had plenty to say. The minutes ticked by and the temperature in the stuffy room rose. There was no update and no internet, effectively scrambled thanks to our military surroundings. Finally, an hour after we were told the press conference with the Prime Minister and President would begin, our group of French, British and US journalists was shuffled over to the main HQ building. The flags outside were completely still as the July heat crept towards 30C. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. Starmer and Macron were escorted from the room where the video call had taken place, directly to their stately podiums. The President looked a little uncomfortable with his baffling choice of a three-piece suit as the temperature rose inside too. But he was able to stand in silence as Starmer launched the conference by immediately diving into the topic of the day: illegal migration. 'There is no silver bullet here, but with a united effort, new tactics and a new level of intent, we can finally turn the table,' he said. The PM then revealed what everyone in the room already knew – the UK had reached an agreement with France to pilot a 'one in, one out' scheme in which migrants arriving via small boats would be swapped with asylum seekers who have a British link. Once those considering setting out on the treacherous journey across the Channel know there's a chance they'll be sent right back, they won't bother trying – or so the logic goes. He said: 'The President and I have agreed that this pilot will be implemented in coming weeks.' When it was Macron's turn to speak, we got plenty about the Coalition of the Willing, and a new agreement on nuclear deterrent cooperation, and the Bayeux Tapestry/Sutton Hoo exchange. Those of us wearing translating headphones pressed them close to check we hadn't missed anything. Where was the migration chat? More Trending The wait was worth it when he got round to it at last, though. As Starmer shifted and looked around, Macron leapt into a full-throated condemnation of Brexit. Leave campaigners 'sold a lie to the British people,' he said, 'which is that the problem is Europe'. When the PM spoke afterwards, the word 'Brexit' never passed his lips. The causes of the situation may be disputed, but a proposed solution has been agreed. Time will tell whether it pays off. MORE: Physical threat from Iran to people in UK 'now comparable with Russia' MORE: Lawyer 'killed himself' after defending 'worst paedophile who ever lived' MORE: Labour's welfare reform bill passes Commons despite 47-strong rebellion
The National
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
It's fantastic that Lewis Chessmen will reach a wider audience
The Chessmen have become unlikely diplomatic pawns between Britain and France. In return for the Tapestry, which depicts the 1066 Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings, the British Museum will loan the Sutton Hoo collection, the Lewis Chessmen, and other items to France. READ MORE: British Museum to loan Lewis Chessmen to France for Bayeux Tapestry The Chessmen – a famous hoard of 93 objects – were discovered in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis. Eleven are in the National Museums Scotland collection, while the remaining 82 are in the British Museum's collection, six of which are on loan to Museum nan Eilean in Lewis. It is clearly fantastic to be able to showcase the Chessmen to a wider audience and allow others to check them out. Alex Orr Edinburgh
Time Out
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The Bayeux Tapestry is going on display in London for the first time in 900 years: dates, tickets and everything you need to know
One of the world's most famous medieval masterpieces is returning to the UK for the very first time in 900 long years. Yep, the spectacular Bayeux Tapestry is coming home. The 70-metre-long tapestry is an intricately embroidered depiction of the 1066 Battle of Hastings, in which William the Conquerer took the English throne, and it'll go on temporary display at the British Museum next year. Most famously, it shows the moment that an arrow hit England's King Harold right in the eye. It's one of nearly 600 items around the world that are included in Unesco's Memory of the World register. For the last nine centuries, the tapestry has lived in France. It has been at the Bayeux Museum in the town of Bayeux in Normandy since 1983. In place of the tapestry, Normandy will be lent the Anglo-Saxon treasures of the Sutton Hoo ship burial that are currently on display at the British Museum, which includes Viking golden coins, a sword, a shield, and an iron helmet. Britain has tried to loan the tapestry three times before, once in 1931, then in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation and again in 1966 for the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings – but none of those requests were ever approved. So, this is a pretty major moment in Anglo-French history. Here's everything we know so far. When is the Bayeux Tapestry coming to the UK? It'll be on display in the British Museum's Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery from September 2026 until July 2027. How to get tickets We don't have any information yet on when the public will be able to get tickets to see the tapestry, but we suggest keeping an eye on the British Museum's website. It could even be worth becoming a museum member, if you're particularly keen to see it. What is the significance of the Bayeux Tapestry? Nicholas Cullinan, the director of the British Museum called the piece 'one of the most important and unique cultural artefacts in the world, which illustrates the deep ties between Britain and France'. He added: '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. 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.' When was the Bayeux Tapestry last in the UK? It's not known for certain but it's thought that the last time the tapestry was this side of the English Channel was back when it was made 900 years ago. Despite the tapestry's name, most historians agree that it was embroidered in Canterbury, likely by nuns or upper class women.
Euronews
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
The Bayeux Tapestry headed to UK for first time in nearly 1,000 years
French President Emmanuel Macron is in the UK for a state visit, during when he urged Britain to stick close to its neighbours despite Brexit. He said that France and the UK will 'save Europe' by standing for democracy, law and international order in a dangerous world. The three-day state visit, at the invitation of King Charles III, is the first state visit to the UK by a European Union head of state since Britain acrimoniously left the EU in 2020. It is a mix of political talks, royal pageantry and also cultural issues. And Macron did not come empty handed in this regard. The French president came bearing a tantalizing cultural gift: an agreement to send the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain for the first time in more than 900 years. The 70-meter tapestry showing the Norman conquest of England in 1066 will go on display at the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027. The treasured 11th-century artwork depicting the events leading up to the conquest of England by William the Conqueror was believed to have been commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux. It has been displayed in various locations across France, including most recently at the Bayeux Museum in Normandy. 'The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most iconic pieces of art ever produced in the UK and I am delighted that we will be able to welcome it here in 2026," Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said in a statement. '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," she added. In return, the British Museum will loan treasures from the Sutton Hoo collection - artifacts from a 7th century Anglo Saxon ship burial - to museums in Normandy. The excavation of Sutton Hoo was dramatized in the 2021 film The Dig starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan. Other items to be loaned to France include the Lewis Chessmen, the mysterious medieval chess pieces carved from walrus tusks and whales' teeth dating from around the 12th century that were discovered on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.
