The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum
For the first time in nearly 1,000 years, the Bayeux Tapestry is back in England. It's on display at the British Museum from 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027, following a historic loan agreement with France. Once it goes home, it's unlikely your students will ever get another chance to see it on this side of the Channel.
What is the Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry is a 70-metre embroidery telling the story of the Norman Conquest of 1066: the death of Edward the Confessor, Harold's oath, the invasion fleet, and the Battle of Hastings itself. It was likely commissioned by a Norman patron and stitched by English embroiderers within a decade of the events it shows.
It's more than a battle scene. Look closely and you'll find ships, castles, feasts, clothing and even Halley's Comet. Few sources bring 11th-century life this close.
Why take your class?
1066 sits at the heart of KS3 history, and no textbook image compares to standing in front of the real thing. Your students can trace the story scene by scene, at eye level, exactly as it was designed to be read.
It's also a brilliant exercise in source analysis. Who commissioned it? Whose version of events does it tell? What's been left out? The Museum's own guiding questions for schools focus on perspective, bias and purpose, ideal preparation for GCSE source skills.
The practical bit
Dedicated school sessions are free of charge, running on Monday and Tuesday term-time slots. Each school can book one timed slot for up to 40 people, including accompanying adults, and the visit lasts around 30 minutes on a one-way route. Your booking includes a timed lunch slot in the School Lunch Room.
Thirty minutes with the Tapestry won't fill a day, and it doesn't need to. The rest of the British Museum is free to explore, and it sits in the middle of everything else London offers a history group. We'll build the Tapestry into a full London itinerary that makes the coach journey count.
Talk to us about adding the Bayeux Tapestry to your London school trip.
