The British Museum’s director has apologised to visitors who had a poor time at its Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, and the London museum is changing how people see the work after complaints about overcrowding. Longer opening hours, an audio guide, more seating and clearer signs are all part of the plan.
Some visitors reported waiting up to two hours. Last week hundreds of ticket holders were reportedly turned away because of backlogs when the museum closed early for a private event. Speaking to the BBC’s culture and media editor Katie Razzall, director Nicholas Cullinan said the museum was “really sorry” to anyone who had not enjoyed their visit and wanted to put it right. He pointed out that the show was three weeks into its run and would soon welcome its 100,000th visitor, and said most visitors reported a very good experience.
Cullinan denied that the museum had sold too many tickets. He said the problem was that people wanted to spend longer with the tapestry than expected, with some staying beyond their 40-minute slot so that others had to move through more quickly. He confirmed the team had consulted the embroidery’s home museum in Bayeux about queues and timings. The museum is refunding people who were turned away, and he called compensation for travel costs “a possibility”, while noting that the exhibition was very expensive to stage. The show has also drawn criticism over access for wheelchair users, because the loan terms require the tapestry to be displayed flat.
Demand has been strong since tickets went on sale in July, when a record 100,000 were sold on the first day. Two more releases are planned, in October and January. Adult tickets cost £33 at peak times and £27 off-peak, against a €12 (£10) fee to see the work in Bayeux, and children under 16 go free. The exhibition runs until July 2027.
The 70m-long work tells the story of the Norman conquest of England in 58 scenes, covering the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the end of Anglo-Saxon rule. Despite its name it is an embroidery, not a tapestry, and shows roughly 626 people and 200 horses. It is on loan from the French government and has left Normandy, where it has been on display since 1983, to return to the UK for the first time since it was made more than 900 years ago.
