France’s Bayeux Tapestry to return to Britain after 900 years
LONDON — France will lend Britain the Bayeux Tapestry, allowing the 11th century masterpiece to come back across the Channel for the first time in more than 900 years.
Britain will in exchange loan France Anglo-Saxon and Viking treasures.
While the precise origins of the 70-meter long Bayeux Tapestry are obscure, it is said to have been the work of English embroiderers, whose stitching tells the story of the Norman invasion in 1066, and most famously the arrow which hit England’s King Harold in the eye.
In the years after William the Conqueror took the English throne, the tapestry was taken to France, where it has remained, displayed at the Bayeux Museum in Normandy since 1983.
“The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most important and unique cultural artifacts in the world, which illustrates the deep ties between Britain and France and has fascinated people across geographies and generations,” British Museum Director Nicholas Cullinan said.
The artwork will be shown at the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027, the statement said, while museums in Normandy, northern France, will host Britain’s Sutton Hoo collection, consisting of metal artworks including helmets, shields, and spoons from the 7th century.
The French will also borrow Britain’s Lewis Chessmen, a collection of chess pieces thought to have been crafted in Norway in the 12th century and found on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. — Reuters
