By Carol Gogan
Hi fellow embroiders. The following is an account of my recent trip to see the Bayeux Tapestry. On Saturday the 27th September 2026 my sisters Maeve, Patricia and our friend Catherine and I visited the British Museum in London to for a much anticipated viewing of the Bayeux Tapestry. I had purchased the tickets online on 1st July 2026 when they first went on sale and queued for over three hours on the website, they being the hottest tickets in the UK at that time! The visit overall was wonderful both for viewing the Tapestry and visiting the magnificent museum and will remain forever etched in my memory.
However I do have some top tips for those who are lucky enough to secure tickets for the exhibition.
- Watch the BBC documentary “Secrets of the Bayeux Tapestry: Inside the Museum”. This gives a wonderful insight into the recent task of transporting the Tapestry to the UK from France and the very many interesting facts connected to this wonderful piece of art.
- Be prepared for the very British habit of queueing! Depending on the time of day you may have to queue for security entering the Museum and you’ll definitely queue for the Tapestry. We were only allowed to join the queue on the allocated time on our tickets which was 16.40. It took another 80 minutes before we exited the exhibition: 40 minutes queueing to get to the start of the 70 meter long Tapestry and 40 minutes to walk along the viewing panel.
- The queue is marshalled in military precision with constant reminders to keep moving. This is understandable as there are thousands of people moving through the exhibit every day but it leaves very little time to linger and admire the embroidery.
- The museum is awesome so leave time before hand to visit some of the exhibits. I can recommend the Parthenon Marbles, controversially removed by the Earl of Eglin from the Parthenon Temple in Athens between 1801 and 1812 and then sold them to the British Government in 1816. Subsequently the marbles came to reside in the British Museum. Needless to say the Greeks want them back and the controversy rages to this day.
- There is a book shop filled with Tapestry merchandise as you exit the Tapestry so be prepared to open pockets! I purchased the British Museum catalogue on the Tapestry for £30 and it is a beautifully produced book.
The Tapestry: I was completely struck by the visible agedness of the Tapestry’s linen base cloth. It had many rust spots, visible tears and wrinkles and an extremely fragile appearance. No wonder such care was taken with its transportation.
I was also struck by the still vibrant colours of the embroidery wool used for the stitching. As you progress along the queue and the viewing of the Tapestry there is an animated show along the walls giving interesting facts about the images displayed. This gives an added interest to the show.
The Tapestry is laid out on a long table stretching for 70 meters and is covered overhead by glass. You are requested not to touch the glass. (Some chance when viewing this magnificent piece of art). Watch out for the four main embroidery stitches: The Bayeux stitch used for all the filling stitches, the stem stitch for the outline stitches, the split stitch for delicate elements and very occasionally the chain stitch for outlines alongside the split and stem stitch.The thread is woolen yarn dyed from natural plant based dyes: madder, weld and woad.
Suffice to say I was blown away by the Tapestry for its age and beauty and how it has survived for so long relatively intact. Its depiction of a world that no longer exists is a testament to its artists and embroiderists of that era and we owe a debt of thanks to them for producing such a magnificent masterpiece. The British Museum must be congratulated for the precision and care taken with its display.
Carol Gogan