LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) – The Bayeux Tapestry has arrived in Britain for the first time in nearly 1,000 years ahead of a sell-out exhibition at the British Museum this year, travelling under police escort during a meticulously choreographed journey from France.
The 70-metre-long (229-foot) tapestry, depicting the 1066 Norman conquest of England, is believed to have been made by English embroiderers. Its return home has so far netted the museum nearly 2.5 million pounds ($3.3 million) in sales, in what would be the museum’s best-selling show.
“Watching the Tapestry arrive at the Museum is a moment I will never forget and I look forward to seeing the exhibition take shape over the coming weeks and welcoming the first visitors through our doors this September,” Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum, said in a statement.
The exhibition opens on September 10.
($1 = 0.7446 pounds)
(Reporting by William James; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
