Bayeux Tapestry laid flat for the first time in landmark British Museum show

The London museum said that viewing it flat will “allow audiences to fully appreciate the scale of this spectacular and one-of-a-kind medieval embroidery”. It has previously been displayed vertically and from 1700 until 1842, the Tapestry was usually rolled out for academics and important individuals to see.

Digital elements in the display, which is open until July 2027, will also bring the stories behind the 70-metre tapestry to life “in a new and imaginative way”.

Hope that the Tapestry will inspire all of us 

The once-in-a-generation show has been made possible by the generous support of investor and entrepreneur Igor Tulchinsky, founder, chairman, and CEO of WorldQuant. He said: “One of the reasons I decided to sponsor this crucially important exhibition of British history was to allow art to be seen and to change the lives of those who see it.

“The embroidery demonstrates such a mastery of craft. The symmetries and proportions show careful calculation. Its chronological structure reveals something equally sophisticated: a modern sense of causality and sequence. It is a narrative about decisions made under uncertainty, about commitments made before their consequences can be known.

“I hope that the Tapestry inspires us all to recognise the value of what endures and to continue to dream about what we might build, what we might preserve, and what we might make possible for those who come after us.”

Group bookings and highlights

Groups will be able to book tickets for the 40-minute experience up until December from 1st July, although there are no group discounts, with further ticket releases in October and January for the remaining dates.

The Bayeux Tapestry Experience will feature objects from the museum’s own collection, alongside other significant loans, putting the Tapestry into the wider context of medieval England and the events surrounding the Norman Conquest.

“One of the reasons I decided to sponsor this crucially important exhibition of British history was to allow art to be seen and to change the lives of those who see it.”

Investor and entrepreneur Igor Tulchinsky

Loans include a charter of Edward the Confessor of 1060 granting lands in Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, to Westminster Abbey. The document, written in Latin and Old English, is witnessed by several individuals who appear in the Tapestry, including King Edward ‘the Confessor’, Harold’s sister, Queen Edith, Archbishop Stigand, Earl Harold and his brother Gyrth; both shown in the Tapestry being killed at the Battle of Hastings.

Important loans will help visitors fully appreciate the Tapestry

Also on display will be a charter issued by William I in 1067 soon after he became king, to the citizens of London. The document, provided by the London Archive, part of the City of London Corporation, is written in Old English, the language of the newly conquered English, and promises the English that the new king will uphold the laws and customs of King Edward. Its message stands in contrast to the political realities of 1066 inferred by the Chew Valley Hoard, where the English feared for the future.

Michael Lewis, curator of the Bayeux Tapestry Experience, said: “The display of the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum offers visitors a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of history. This will be a new and exciting presentation of the Tapestry’s story: the events leading to the Norman Conquest, an incredible moment that changed England forever.

“Important loans will help visitors fully appreciate the Tapestry, explaining why and how the embroidery was made. Also, that its retelling of events, though ambiguous, likely deliberately so, offers a unique perspective on the past. The Norman Conquest not only impacted kings, dukes and the elite, but also everyday people, including those who made this artwork.”