The Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most extraordinary artefacts to survive from the eleventh century. A fragile web of woollen thread on linen, its brilliant colours undimmed after nearly a thousand years, this masterpiece is unique as a complete example of an art form beloved of the aristocracy in the Romanesque era - the 'historiated' or narrative embroidery.
The momentous story it tells is that of one of the turning-points in English and European history, the struggle for the succession…