The Bayeux Tapestry

Celebrating the landmark British Museum exhibition in 2026, this will be the essential volume on the tapestry for generations to come

The Bayeux Tapestry is an iconic artwork, almost seventy meters long, which tells the story of the events leading to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 by William, Duke of Normandy. Its account of eleventh-century England and France is like no other, revealing details from civil and military architecture to armor, seafaring, and everyday life. It also includes an intriguing selection of popular fables, figures, and mythical creatures embroidered into its borders, contributing to its mystery and ambiguity.

Featuring a full-color reproduction of the Tapestry and all-new photography, this beautiful book allows the reader to follow the visual narrative--with a scene-by-scene transliteration and English translation of the Tapestry's Latin--while texts from international experts unpick the importance of the work in understanding this pivotal point in European history.

Published to celebrate the landmark loan of the Tapestry to the British Museum in 2026, the first time it has been displayed outside of France in almost a thousand years, this timeless new book will become the essential volume about the Bayeux Tapestry for generations to come.

Published in association with The British Museum

Exhibition Schedule:

The British Museum, London

(September 10, 2026-July 11, 2027)

Sue Brunning is curator of European early medieval & Sutton Hoo collections at the British Museum; Lloyd de Beer is curator of modern European collections, 1800-present at the British Museum; Michael Lewis is head of portable antiquities and treasure at the British Museum. Naomi Speakman is curator of late medieval Europe Collections at the British Museum.