1:54 Visitors delighted to see Bayeux tapestry on display in the UK for the first time – video Bayeux tapestry Francophiles, Norman outfits and broken threads: visitors see Bayeux tapestry in UK for first time Visitors got a first glimpse of the medieval artefact after it went on display at the British Museum in London
Rachel Hall Thu 10 Sep 2026 18.42 CEST Last modified on Thu 10 Sep 2026 23.02 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google O n the day Bayeux tapestry tickets were released, Megan Stockwell was at the beach. She was so determined to lock down her spot, that she sat with her toes in the sand for an hour, waiting in the online queue.
“The whole ticket buying experience felt like what other people would do to get Taylor Swift tickets. I was like, ‘oh God, am I, like, the geek version of this?’” she recalled.
View image in fullscreen Megan Stockwell outside the British Museum. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian Like any committed Swiftie, Stockwell felt confident the experience would be worth the hassle and cost. As a self-professed Francophile, she was fascinated by how the tapestry, which is temporarily housed at the British Museum until next July, tells the story of the Franco-British relationship through the Norman conquest, culminating in the battle of Hastings.
“You just grow up learning so much about it – at primary school, in history studies. You’ve always got some mention of the Bayeux tapestry, the Normans, the fact there’s even three lions on the back of our pound coins comes from Normandy.
“We’ve got such a close connection between French and British culture, our language and everything. This sort of feels like a visual representation of that,” she said.
Stockwell’s dogged pursuit of tickets, fascination with the Franco-British relationship, and childhood memories of learning about the battle of Hastings, were experiences shared by many of the visitors on the exhibition’s opening day.
Cydney, who lives in Texas, also drew inspiration from her experience queueing for concert tickets to secure a coveted opening day spot. She had woken up at 3am local time to join an online queue for an hour and half to secure them when they were released.
Read more She anticipated it would be worth it: “It’s going to be life-changing, we’re so excited.”
View image in fullscreen Cydney, who lives in Texas, said seeing the tapestry would be ‘life-changing’. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian Cydney had studied history for her undergraduate degree. “So I just really am interested to see what a significant artefact would be and to see how this is basically where the history of England and the UK as we know it really all began. Seeing something so old is just incredible and honestly such an honour.”
Her feelings were echoed by Adrian Harris, who was so moved to catch the exhibition that he signed up for British Museum membership purposely to gain early access to tickets. He ended up the second person through the doors on Thursday morning, after joining a “really jolly” queue at 9.30am.
View image in fullscreen Adrian Harris. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian “It was incredible. It was very, very moving to walk down the steps and to see the length and breadth of it. And I think they’ve done it so well, the British Museum. It was very profound to see it,” he said, adding he had been especially thrilled to spy Westminster Abbey, where he works, on the cloth.
He noted that although he was one of the first through the doors,…