Bayeux Tapestry to go on display at the British Museum in 2026
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-07)

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Macron agree a loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK

- Tapestry will go on display at the British Museum in London with Sutton Hoo treasures and the Lewis chessmen loaned to France in return
- Loan marks the first time the work will have been in the UK for more than 900 years
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce that the Bayeux Tapestry will come to the UK in 2026, opening access and providing education opportunities for millions of people.

The loan, which will mark the first time the Bayeux Tapestry has been in the UK in nearly 1,000 years, will be displayed in the The Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery of the British Museum in London between September 2026 and July 2027.

It is expected that the blockbuster exhibition, which will offer the chance to see the Tapestry up close for the first time on UK soil since its creation, will also boost London’s visitor economy.

The 70-metre work, which is more than 900-year-old, depicts the 1066 Norman invasion and Battle of Hastings. The battle saw William the Conquerer take the English throne from Harald Godwinson and become the first Norman King of England. It is widely accepted to have been made in England during the 11th century and was likely to have been commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux. The Tapestry has been on display in various locations in France throughout its history, including most recently at the Bayeux Museum.

In addition to the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry, the British Museum will loan the Sutton Hoo collection, the Lewis Chessmen and other treasures to France. The Sutton Hoo treasures, discovered as part of a seventh century Anglo-Saxon ship burial in Suffolk in 1939, provide remarkable insights into England from a time before the Norman Conquest. Museums in Normandy will host the Sutton Hoo treasures while they are in France.

The British Museum is home to two million years of human history and culture and is one of the most-visited attractions in the world, attracting more than 6 million visitors in 2024.

The announcement will be made by the UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and French Culture Minister Rachida Dati later today as part of the State visit to the UK by President Macron and Madame Macron.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most iconic pieces of art ever produced in the UK and I am delighted that we will be able to welcome it here in 2026. This loan is a symbol of our shared history with our friends in France, a relationship built over centuries and one that continues to endure.

The British Museum is one of the world’s most visited museums and is a fitting place to host this most treasured piece of our nation’s history.

Director of the British Museum Nicholas Cullinan said:

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most important and unique cultural artefacts in the world, which illustrates the deep ties between Britain and France and has fascinated people across geographies and generations. It is hard to overstate the significance of this extraordinary opportunity of displaying it at the British Museum and we are profoundly grateful to everyone involved. This will be the first time the Bayeux Tapestry has been in the UK since it was made, almost 1000 years ago. We are also delighted to send the Lewis chessmen, and some of our treasures from Sutton Hoo - the greatest archaeological discovery in Britain – to France in return.

This is exactly the kind of international partnership that I want us to champion and take part in: sharing the best of our collection as widely as possible – and in return displaying global treasures never seen here before.

Further details of the exhibition will be announced by the British Museum in due course.

The loan will form part of a bilateral season of culture in 2027 that will celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the birth of William the Conquerer and the Grand Départ of the 2027 Tour de France from the UK.

Lord Peter Ricketts has been appointed by the government to act as the UK Government’s Envoy for the Bayeux Tapestry Loan. Further details on the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry, the loan of the Sutton Hoo Treasure will be made in due course.

In addition, three UK cultural organisations will also be signing Memoranda of Understanding with French counterparts: the British Film Institute and the Centre National du Cinema; the National Trust and the Centre des Monuments Nationaux; and Sadler’s Wells and the Chaillot Théâtre National de la Danse. These partnerships between some of our flagship cultural organisations will ensure that creative partnerships and projects can continue to thrive between our two nations for years to come.