British Museum extends opening hours for Bayeux Tapestry
The London museum is introducing extra measures after visitors faced long waits and some ticket holders were unable to enter.
The British Museum is extending the opening hours of its exhibition on the Bayeux Tapestry. The museum is also adding an audio guide, extra signage and seating to reduce long queues and congestion.
The measures follow complaints from visitors about long waits at the exhibition. The museum says interest has been exceptionally high, but acknowledges that some visitors stood in the queue longer than intended.
From Monday, an audio guide will lead visitors through the exhibition. Extra signs will also be installed and more seating added. By extending its opening hours, the museum aims to spread visitors more evenly throughout the day.
The museum previously decided that visitors would no longer be allowed to take photographs of the tapestry. According to the British broadcaster BBC, visitors stopping to take photographs caused delays along the route. Some ticket holders were reportedly turned away by British media when the backlogs became too large.
The Bayeux Tapestry has been on display in London since 10 September. The nearly seventy-metre-long medieval embroidery is being exhibited in the United Kingdom for the first time in almost a thousand years. In 58 scenes, it depicts the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
The exhibition is scheduled to run until 11 July 2027. Tickets for the first period sold out quickly; a new sales round is scheduled for 21 October. According to ITV, adults pay £27 outside peak times and £33 during peak times, while children under sixteen can enter free of charge.
The museum in the French town of Bayeux, where the tapestry normally hangs, is undergoing renovation. After the London exhibition, the artwork will return to France. The extra measures may partially resolve the logistical problems, but say nothing yet about the final visitor numbers or the experience on busy days.
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The practical measures and the exhibition itself have been confirmed by the museum and ITV. Non-exact descriptions of crowding have been worded cautiously and not presented as precise figures.
- confirmed The British Museum is extending its opening hours and adding an audio guide, signage and seating. — Confirmed by ITV on the basis of a statement from the museum. source
- confirmed The Bayeux Tapestry has been on display in London since 10 September 2026. — The exhibition period and location are listed on the museum website; ITV gives the opening date. source
- confirmed The exhibition runs until 11 July 2027. — Stated by the British Museum. source
- confirmed Children under sixteen can enter free of charge. — Mentioned in ITV’s publication on the updated visitor information. source
Editor's note
The new measures, the exhibition period and the historical background have been confirmed. The extent of the queues and the number of visitors who were turned away have not been quantified precisely in public sources.Sources
- British Museum makes changes to ease Bayeux Tapestry queues — ITV News
- The Bayeux Tapestry — British Museum
- Tickets to see Bayeux Tapestry at British Museum on sale from 1 July — British Museum
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „tapijt van bayeux”
- RTL Nieuws — „tapijt van bayeux”
- NOS — „tapijt van bayeux”