Now open at the British Museum
70 metres of linen and wool. 58 embroidered scenes. The story of 1066 and the Norman Conquest of England.
10 September 2026 – 11 July 2027
Unofficial guide. This site is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the British Museum or the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux. Read our disclaimer.
New on the site
Fresh investigations and new ways of looking at the familiar story of 1066.
How Did Harold Die?
The Bayeux Tapestry makes Harold's death certain, but not the manner of it. Was he shot in the face, cut down by a horseman, or shown in two moments at once? The most famous death in English history is less settled than many people think.
Featured October 2026
The 40-minute visit
The Bayeux Tapestry is nearly 70 metres long, so 40 minutes can disappear very quickly. The best way to enjoy the exhibition is to prepare before you arrive, decide what you most want to see, and avoid spending your limited time trying to work out the story from scratch.
Learn the basic story, choose the scenes you do not want to miss, and use this site before your visit so you can spend more of your time looking at the embroidery itself.
A useful tip before you enter
Photography is not permitted in the exhibition. It may be tempting to reach for your phone when you first see the Tapestry, but doing so can cost you valuable viewing time. If an attendant needs to approach and explain the no-photography rule, that conversation comes out of the same limited time you have with the embroidery.
The restriction helps the exhibition keep moving fairly for everyone. The simplest approach is to leave the camera or phone in your pocket, enjoy the real thing while it is in front of you, and use photographs and our scene guide afterwards to revisit the details you noticed.
Understand the main sequence from Harold's journey to Normandy through to Hastings before you enter the gallery.
Read the short introduction →Pick the famous scenes, small details and mysteries you most want to find rather than trying to absorb everything at once.
See what not to miss →Become familiar with the sequence before you arrive so the real embroidery feels recognisable as you move along it.
Explore all 58 scenes →A companion for your visit
This illustrated guide follows all 58 scenes in order, explaining the people, events, Latin inscriptions, mysteries and small details that are easy to miss.
If your exhibition visit is limited to around 40 minutes, knowing the sequence beforehand means you can spend more of that precious time looking at the embroidery itself rather than trying to work out what is happening.
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The story beyond London
More than 70 partner organisations across all four UK nations are taking part in the wider Bayeux programme, with exhibitions, rare loans, full-scale reproductions, school activity, digital displays and hands-on events.
Explore the programme from Hastings and Lincoln to Edinburgh, Exeter, Plymouth and Somerset. Dated events remain in the guide after they finish, creating a permanent record of the Tapestry's time in Britain.
Explore the embroidery
Use these as gateways into the complete scene-by-scene guide.
What exactly did Harold promise William, and why did the oath become so important?
Explore this scene →One of history's most famous comets appears above observers in 1066.
Explore this scene →The embroidery presents Harold enthroned as king. See what the scene itself actually shows.
Explore this scene →Follow the English shield wall, the Norman assault and the final collapse of Harold's army.
Explore the battle →Books, gifts and things worth discovering
Editorial recommendations for visitors, readers and history enthusiasts, with Amazon-linked product areas kept text-only.
Recommended histories, guides and publications for anyone wanting to go further.
Browse recommended books →Books focusing on Harold, William, the campaign of 1066 and the battle itself.
Browse 1066 books →Ideas connected with the Bayeux Tapestry, Anglo-Saxon England, the Normans and 1066.
Browse gifts & souvenirs →As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on the recommendation pages are affiliate links.
The story stitched into history
The embroidery begins before 1066, crosses the Channel more than once, and leaves behind questions that historians are still debating.
Why did Harold travel to Normandy? What exactly did he swear? Who commissioned the embroidery? Why are strange animals, fables and naked figures stitched into its borders? And does it really tell as simple a Norman story as people sometimes assume?
Make every minute count
Prepare first, then use your time in the gallery to notice the gestures, borders, weapons, animals and tiny narrative details
that photographs can never quite replace.
Dive deeper into the history behind the Tapestry
The year that changed England forever. Three battles, two invasions, and three kings in twelve months.
Read the full timeline →The patron, the designer, and the embroiderers. What we know, what we guess, and what we will never know.
Read the article →Nearly a thousand years of wars, revolutions, close calls and remarkable escapes from destruction.
Read the article →The Bayeux Tapestry is normally kept in Bayeux, Normandy, France.
Yes. The British Museum exhibition runs from 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027.
The expected visitor journey through the exhibition is about 40 minutes, which makes preparing before your visit especially useful.
No. Photography is not permitted in the exhibition. Keeping your phone or camera away also helps you make the most of your limited viewing time.
No. Although it is known as the Bayeux Tapestry, it is technically embroidery, stitched in wool thread onto linen cloth.
The Tapestry is commonly divided into 58 scenes, although these scene divisions are modern rather than part of the original embroidery.