The Bayeux Tapestry in London: 70 metres, 1066 and £33 tickets that are already gone
The British Museum has brought the Norman Conquest embroidery to Britain for the first time in almost 900 years — and everything is sold out until January. What is on show, what it costs, the rules, and what to look for on the cloth.
The Bayeux Tapestry — the 70-metre 11th-century embroidery of how William the Conqueror took the English crown — has arrived in London. Since 10 September it has been lying in the British Museum, where it stays until 11 July 2027. It is the first time in almost 900 years that the cloth has been in Britain.
And the practical headline first: tickets for September, October, November and December are sold out. The museum has promised further releases, the next big one covering dates from January 2027.
Your ad could be hereAdvertise hereWhat exactly is on show?
An embroidery around 70 metres long, made in the 11th century shortly after the events of 1066. It tells the story of the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings, from Harold's oath to his death.
In London it lies flat under glass rather than hanging vertically as it does in Bayeux. You look down on it — which means the stitching, the darns and the repairs are all visible. The gallery is long and dark, with animations of selected scenes running on the walls above.
Two other objects of the same period are shown alongside it: the Chew Valley Hoard, 2,584 silver pennies from the Conquest period found in Somerset in 2019, and a surviving writ from William the Conqueror to the people of London confirming their existing rights.
How much is a ticket?
An adult ticket is £33 at standard times, £27 off-peak and £25 super off-peak — term-time weekdays between 15:30 and 16:20.
Under-16s go free with an accompanying adult, up to four children per adult. Students, 16–18s and jobseekers pay £25. Disabled visitors pay £25 and an assistant goes free. With a National Art Pass it is £16.50, £13.50 or £12.50 depending on the time. Members get two visits included and 10% off after that.
What are the booking rules?
Entry is by timed slot, with a maximum of ten tickets per booking. Multiple bookings from the same email address are cancelled — a measure against resellers. Tickets are emailed four days before the visit and ID may be checked at the door.
Inside, photography, filming and even sketching are not allowed. Buggies and large bags are not admitted and the cloakroom is paid. The museum allows about forty minutes for the visit.
When is the museum open?
Sunday to Wednesday 10:00–18:00, Thursday to Saturday 10:00–21:00. The exhibition is in Room 30, the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery, entered from the Great Court.
What to look for on the cloth itself?
The crowd gathers at the scene of Harold's death, but the details are the better reward. Along the upper border there is a scene where people point at a star with a tail, with "ISTI MIRANT STELLA" stitched above them — "these men marvel at the star". That is Halley's Comet, which passed close to Earth in the spring of 1066; its debris is what we see every October as the Orionid meteor shower.
Beyond that: ships and how they were built, weapons and mail, cooking and feasting, beasts and monsters in the borders — 11th-century daily life is set down there in more detail than in any chronicle.
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