Bayeux tapestry arrives at British Museum after historic transfer

Published on

10/07/2026 - 9:37 GMT+2

A return to its origins for the Bayeux Tapestry. Under tight security, this thousand-year-old wool-on-linen embroidery, which recounts William the Conqueror’s rise to the English throne in 1066, left Normandy on Thursday 9 July. Bound for London and the British Museum, where it will be on display from 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027.

Since 19 September, it had been stored in the utmost secrecy just a few steps from Bayeux Cathedral, inside the Museum of Art and History. From 6 p.m. on Thursday, several dozen people took turns to ensure its transfer to the other side of the Channel. The tapestry reached London early on Friday, at around 3 a.m., after a journey in a double container specially designed to limit vibrations and maintain a constant temperature of 20 °C.

A measure of the value of this unique piece, the United Kingdom has committed to paying 800 million pounds (around 917.9 million euros) in the event of major damage. The country has also agreed to lend France items from the Sutton Hoo treasure – funerary furniture belonging to a 7th-century Saxon leader – and Renaissance drawings. Including transfer and exhibition, the cost of the operation is put at around 20 million euros, to be covered entirely by the British.

Judging by the huge enthusiasm when the ticket office (source in French) opened, this investment nonetheless looks set to pay off: all the tickets on sale up to January 2027 were snapped up in a single day.

Tickets for January to July 2027 will go on sale at a later date. According to the British press, the standard price is 33 pounds.

Macron: "Let’s keep building the future"

This unprecedented loan was announced in July 2025 by the French president to "reinvigorate the cultural relationship" with the United Kingdom, ten years after Brexit. "Let’s keep building the future of this bond between the two shores of the Channel, this Entente cordiale that has become a friendly Entente", wrote Emmanuel Macron in an opinion piece published by the newspaper The Times (source in French) on Friday.

Pointing out that the tapestry is an unfinished work, he said that "it is up to us to write the next chapter, in a spirit of respect, trust and renewed alliance".

A loan to London had been considered twice before, without success: in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and in 1966, for the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings.

When it returns to France, sometime in 2027, the tapestry is expected to go back on display at its museum in Bayeux, currently closed for renovation work, before undergoing a delicate restoration, long planned but repeatedly postponed. According to the authorities, this restoration should start from 2028 and could be carried out within the museum itself, in front of the public, so as to avoid removing the work again.