LONDON — The Bayeux Tapestry has arrived in the UK for the first time since it is believed to have been created in Britain nearly 1,000 years ago, travelling under police escort during a meticulously choreographed journey from France.
At 02:50 BST, chaperoned from a secret location in northern France by a police guard, it was driven into a loading bay at the British Museum, which will put it on display in September.
The 11th Century embroidery depicts in 58 scenes events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and Norman Conquest of England in 1066 — the moment that changed the country forever.
The heavy-looking crate, encased in an aluminium frame, was lowered out of the truck in front of a select crowd including the French ambassador to the UK and the director of the British Museum.
The 70-meter (230-foot) embroidery was transported in an air-conditioned, anti-vibration crate under French police escort to the Eurotunnel before crossing the Channel. It was then handed over to British authorities for the final leg of its journey to London.
The transfer was made possible by what the French government described as “unprecedented logistical and security means”, developed over more than a year by the two governments.
The medieval masterpiece, believed to have been made by English embroiderers, has already generated nearly £2.5 million ($3.3 million) in ticket sales, making it the museum’s best-selling exhibition.
France confirmed the loan last July during President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Britain as a guest of King Charles. The transfer of the cultural treasure is seen as a symbol of closer ties between the countries after the discord caused by Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union.
“This … is a gesture of trust, a tangible expression of a long-standing friendship and a sign of our shared desire to see France and the United Kingdom build their future together,” Macron wrote in the Times newspaper.
The tapestry itself is the product of an earlier period of Anglo-French rivalry, embroidered in the years after William the Conqueror, backed by a Norman army, seized the English throne.
“Make no mistake — this is an historic moment and a significant act of friendship as we welcome this iconic historical tapestry back to Britain,” British culture minister Lisa Nandy said in a statement released by the museum.
“Watching the Tapestry arrive at the Museum is a moment I will never forget,” British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan said in the statement.
The tapestry will undergo condition checks before being installed within a custom-built showcase ahead of the exhibition’s September 10 opening.
Source: Saudi Gazette