Bayeux Tapestry: Tens of thousands rush to buy tickets for British Museum exhibition

Tens of thousands of people have faced long waits to buy the first tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry, which went on display at the British Museum in September.

11th-century embroideries depicting the Norman conquest of England in 1066 are being loaned to England, while its usual home, the Bayeux Museum in Normandy, is undergoing a major renovation.

The 70-meter-long masterpiece will be exhibited in London for 10 months; This will be the first time the tapestry will be exhibited on British soil.

More than 65,000 people joined the online queue after the first batch of tickets were released at 10am BST on Wednesday.

While some social media users said they waited in the virtual queue for hours just to request a timeout, others said they had successfully purchased their tickets.

Before tickets went on sale, the British Museum said it was “expecting great demand and interest”.

Museum director Dr. Nicholas Cullinan told BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Wednesday that the tapestry’s arrival in the UK was “an incredible event”.

Dr Cullinan said great care would be taken to preserve the embroidery during his visit and British ticket buyers would have the opportunity to view the embroidery in full size.

“It will be laid flat, which is the best way to display it from a conservation standpoint, but the other thing that is very exciting is that it will be displayed in a long line.

“For the first time in centuries, people will be able to see the entire tapestry.”

The embroideries will be transported via Eurotunnel in the coming weeks and will be displayed in a specially produced glass display case.