British Museum calls for Bayeux Tapestry partners

The British Museum is calling for partners to join a Bayeux Tapestry National Programme that will complement its “once-in-a-generation” exhibition of the 11^th-century tapestry.

The museum will host the Bayeux Tapestry from September 2026 to July 2027 in the UK for the first time since it was made nearly 1,000 years ago. 

John Stokes, the British Museum’s Dorset Foundation head of national programmes, said the institution is aiming to create “a truly national moment that can reach all parts of the UK”.

The programme will include digital assets, participative artwork, and a platform for other tapestry-related events to celebrate the loan from France. 

Activities will begin in line with the exhibition opening and continue throughout its run.

The 70-metre tapestry depicts the 1066 Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings. In return for the loan, France will display artefacts from the British Museum, including the Sutton Hoo helmet, the Lewis chess pieces, the Mold gold cape, and the Dunaverney flesh hook. 

The British Museum’s director Nicholas Cullinan addressed concerns for the tapestry’s safety in a recent letter to The Guardian, saying “experts on both sides of the Channel have been carrying out rigorous planning and due diligence to ensure the safe transport and conservation of the tapestry”.

Since the partnership was agreed by prime minister Keir Starmer and French president Macron this summer, preparation for the tapestry’s transportation has started in both countries.

“Colleagues in France are preparing for its careful removal before work begins on their new museum, and intricate plans are being made for its journey to London,” said Cullinan.

“This expert-led collaboration – indeed, supported for 12 years by one of our leading specialists on the Bayeux scientific committee – will guide every stage, including a full dry run of the journey.”

Once in the museum, the tapestry will be placed on “a state-of-the-art table, designed to support its long-term preservation while allowing viewers to view it in a striking new way”.

This table will later move to the Bayeux Museum in Normandy when it reopens. 

George Osborne, chair of the British Museum trustees, described the exhibition as “the blockbuster show of our generation.”

“There is no other single item in British history that is so familiar, so studied in schools, so copied in art as the Bayeux Tapestry,” he said. “Yet in almost a thousand years it has never returned to these shores.”

National Programmes

The British Museum’s National Programmes team works to share the collections outside of London, engaging with local communities throughout the UK.

The team is currently calling for host partners for its new Spotlight Loan, Arctic Expressions, which will tell the story of the Arctic Peoples and will be touring to three venues in late 2026.

Museums interested in either the Bayeux Tapestry National Programme or the Arctic Expressions exhibition should contact John Stokes at jstokes@britishmuseum.org.

Online sessions for those interested in the Bayeux Tapestry programme will be held on 29 September, 1 October and 2 October.