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Europe|The Bayeux Tapestry, a British Masterpiece, Returns to England After 900 Years
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/world/europe/bayeux-tapestry-england-france-british-museum.html
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The embroidered work, depicting the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, is a loan from France. For the first time, it will be on exhibit in London.
July 8, 2025
The embroidered work of medieval art known as the Bayeux Tapestry, a masterpiece that depicts the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, will return to Britain for the first time in centuries, according to the British Museum, where it will be displayed in London starting next year.
The loan, which was announced on Tuesday as part of a state visit by President Emmanuel Macron of France, marks the first time that the tapestry will be in Britain since its creation, more than 900 years ago.
The arrangement will give visitors a glimpse of a crucial episode in their country’s history as they come to stand before an epic work made to hang in the nave of a cathedral in France.
The roughly 230-foot artwork, which was made in the years after the conquest, depicts the Norman invasion of England and the Battle of Hastings. The conflict allowed William the Conqueror to take the throne from Harold Godwinson to become the first Norman king of England.
The tapestry’s decorative borders display scenes of animals, as well as fables from Aesop and Phaedrus.
“The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most iconic pieces of art ever produced in the U.K. and I am delighted that we will be able to welcome it here,” Lisa Nandy, Britain’s culture secretary, 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.”
