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Bayeux Tapestry set to be on display in the UK in 2022

The British government has announced that Bayeux Tapestry is a step closer to returning to the United Kingdom for the first time in almost a thousand years.

Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Matt Hancock signed a Memorandum of Understanding with French Minister of Culture Françoise Nyssen during a meeting in Paris. Both countries have agreed to collaborate to broaden international and public understanding of the Tapestry through cooperation between universities and research institutes. As well as using digital technology to make the Tapestry more accessible, they will also prepare for its conservation and safe transportation to the UK.

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The move will ensure the British public will be able to see one of the world’s major historical artefacts for the first time in more than 900 years.

Matt Hancock commented, “The Bayeux Tapestry is a world treasure and a symbol of the deep ties between Britain and France. This agreement takes us a step closer to bringing the Tapestry to our shores for the first time in almost a millennium. It also underlines the ongoing commitment from both nations for greater cultural, digital and scientific collaboration now and into the future.

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“We are incredibly excited about the potential of the loan, to enhance further the bonds that tie us to our neighbours across the water.”

Scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry – photo by John McLinden / Flickr

The unique 70 metre long tapestry depicts the 1066 Norman Conquest of England. It was created in England in the eleventh century, after the Battle of Hastings and has been on display in the French town of Bayeux. It is now part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

The Tapestry will come to the UK while its current home, the Bayeux Museum, undergoes refurbishment in 2022. Further details of the exhibition, including exact dates and locations, will be released at a later date.

See also: Ten Things You May Not Have Noticed in the Bayeux Tapestry

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