Key Facts

• The Bayeux Tapestry is an 11th-century embroidery made of linen with colored woollen yarn, depicting 58 scenes and 626 characters, including 202 horses, ships, swords, and arrows, and tells the story of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
• The tapestry was transported from a secret location in northern France to the British Museum in London via the Eurotunnel, using a specially designed crate with temperature and humidity regulation, as well as metal springs to act as shock absorbers.
• The loan agreement between the French and British governments was finalized last year between French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with the British Museum loaning treasures such as the Sutton Hoo hoard and the Lewis chess pieces in return.
• The Bayeux Tapestry is considered an extraordinary survival, having lasted for nearly 1,000 years despite being vulnerable to damage from moths, mice, damp, mould, and fire, and its preservation is seen as a "miracle" by project curator Millie Horton-Insch.
• The British Museum's director, Nick Cullinan, stated that the museum took every precaution to ensure the safe transportation of the tapestry, having conducted two practice journeys with a textile copy to test the route and crate, and that "no damage is the goal" of the loan agreement.