A historic loan has been agreed to bring the Bayeux Tapestry back to England for the first time in 900 years.
The British Museum will display the tapestry, which depicts the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, in exchange for lending some of its most famous treasures to France, including the Lewis chessmen and items from the Sutton Hoo burial.
The agreement is due to be announced by prime minister Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron during the latter's ongoing state visit to the UK, and will be signed by the director of the British Museum, Nicholas Cullinan.
The tapestry will go on display in the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery at the British Museum in the autumn of 2026, the first time it has been shown in the UK since it was made.
The museum will draw on its own collection as well as other loans in order to tell the story of the Norman Conquest, which saw William the Conqueror defeat the Anglo-Saxon king Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings.
A statement from the British Museum said the institution's “status as the UK’s most visited attraction, as well as one of the most popular in the world – attracting 6.5 million visitors in 2024 – means it is well placed to ensure that the widest possible audience will have the opportunity to enjoy it”.
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“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 Cullinan.
“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 treasures from the British Museum representing all four nations of the UK – including Sutton Hoo treasures and the Lewis chess pieces – 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 of the world never seen in London before to a global audience.”
The two countries have long discussed a potential loan of the 70-metre textile – one of the most important cultural heritage objects in both English and French history.
A previous deal agreed between Macron and former culture minister Matt Hancock in 2018 unravelled after tests found the tapestry was in worse repair than expected and too fragile to travel.
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A 2020 condition report showed various forms of deterioration affecting the wool-and-linen artefact, including holes, stains, folds, and tears, as a result of past conservation techniques and display conditions.
A major project to conserve the tapestry got underway in January this year. The Bayeux Museum in Normandy, northern France, where it is normally displayed, is due to close this September for a two-year redevelopment, reopening in 2027 to mark the millennium of William the Conqueror’s birth. The museum first opened in 1983.
The textile was commissioned by William’s brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux, in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest and is believed to have been embroidered in England, possibly by nuns in Canterbury, before being brought to Bayeux Cathedral.
The British Museum is one of just a few institutions where the tapestry can be safely displayed. The exhibition of the tapestry will likely be one of the museum’s biggest ever blockbusters, on a par with previous bestsellers such as Treasures of Tutankhamun (1972) and First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army (2007).
Meanwhile, museums in the UK have been invited by the Normandy Region in France to take part in an international programme to mark the millennium of the birth of William the Conqueror in 2027.
The culture and tourism programme will span countries with shared Norman heritage, including the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, southern Italy and Sicily. It intends to celebrate the millennium through exhibitions, educational programmes, tourism trails and live performances.
Update
08.07.2025
This article was updated following an official announcement from the British Museum.
There is a fine late 19th century copy of the Bayeux Tapestry in a special gallery at Reading Museum. I saw it again quite recently and it attracts visitors without all of the international fol-de-rol of a state visit from the French President. Getting into the BM is a lengthy business and seeing the facsimile in Reading is easy; I’ve seen both and quite frankly the copy is interesting for its history and should be seen and enjoyed by all who like historical mysteries involving textiles. It is, of course, not a tapestry but an embroidery . . .
We have a textile artist in Wisbech creating a full size full replica, it is a fascinating journey she’s set herself. (https://www.miasbayeuxstyleart.uk/meet-the-artist)
Interestingly it was Octavia Hill’s brother who presented the tapestry to Reading. Octavia was born in Wisbech, I manage the Birthplace House and have spent time with Mia and her work. A double link to the ‘tapestry’ that we hope to develop as the anniversary comes around.