Concerns Rise as Bayeux Tapestry Prepares for Controversial Move to the UK

Sat Sep 13 2025 09:21:07 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As France closes access to the historically significant Bayeux Tapestry ahead of its transport to the British Museum, art experts voice alarm over potential damage to the delicate artifact, igniting a debate about cultural heritage and preservation.

The Bayeux Tapestry, a 1,000-year-old artwork documenting the Norman invasion of England, is set for a controversial move to the UK. Critics, including prominent figures in France’s art community, raise alarms about its fragility and oppose the loan orchestrated by President Macron. The impending closure of the tapestry for its journey has seen an uptick in visitors at the Bayeux Museum, amidst rising concerns over its preservation during transportation.

The Bayeux Tapestry, which documents the Norman invasion of England in 1066, will be closed to the public in France from Monday as opposition mounts ahead of its move to London.

The next time it will be possible to see the nearly 1,000-year-old work of art should be when it goes on display at the British Museum in September next year.

However, the French art world is fiercely opposed to the project, with experts fearing the 70m-long (230ft) masterpiece is in far too delicate a state to be transported across the Channel.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the loan when they met in London in July.

The last few weeks have seen a big rise in visitor numbers at the Bayeux Museum ahead of its closure from 1 September. A new display area is being built for the tapestry, which will take at least two years.

The closure – long planned – is what gave Macron the opportunity to perform his act of cultural diplomacy, committing France to loaning the tapestry to the British Museum for a year from next September.

But that promise has triggered an outcry from many in the French art world. A petition – which describes the loan as a cultural crime – has drawn 60,000 signatures.

Opponents resent the way they feel Macron decided to make his gesture to the UK, overriding specialists’ advice that the vibrations from the journey could cause irreparable damage.

On 22 August, a French official overseeing the loan defended the move, claiming the artefact was not too fragile to transport. Philippe Bélaval stated that a study earlier this year made detailed recommendations about handling and transport.

Cecile Binet, a regional museum adviser for Normandy, countered that moving the tapestry long distances poses a risk to its conservation, asserting it is too fragile.

The huge embroidery, which is believed to have been created in Kent, is designated for display in London until July 2027. In exchange for the tapestry, treasures, including artefacts from the Anglo-Saxon burial mounds at Sutton Hoo and 12th Century Lewis chess pieces, are set to travel to Normandy.

The Bayeux Tapestry not only charts a significant era in Anglo-French relations but also preserves vital information about military traditions and daily life in the medieval period.