Bayeux tapestry to be insured for £800m for British Museum exhibition | Bayeux tapestry
The Bayeux tapestry will be insured for an estimated £800 million when it returns to the UK in 2026 for the first time in more than 900 years.
The Treasury will insure 70 meters of embroidered fabric depicting the Norman invasion of 1066 and the Battle of Hastings against damage or loss during its transport from France and while it is on display at the British Museum from September.
It will support cover under the Government Compensation Scheme, an alternative to commercial insurance that allows art and cultural objects to be exhibited in the UK.
The Financial Times reported that the Treasury had provisionally approved an estimated valuation for the tapestry, with the final valuation expected to be around £800 million.
An HM Treasury spokesman said: “The Government Compensation Scheme is a long-standing scheme that allows museums and galleries to borrow high-value works for major exhibitions, increasing visitor numbers and providing public benefit.
“Without this coverage, public museums and galleries would face a significant commercial insurance premium, making them significantly less cost-effective.”
The scheme is estimated to save UK museums and galleries £81 million compared to commercial insurance.
The Bayeux tapestry depicts the Battle of Hastings and the events leading up to it. In the battle, William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and became the first Norman king of England.
The cloth consists of 58 scenes and is widely accepted to have been made in England in the 11th century, possibly commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux.
The Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Normandy will be on loan while it is closed for renovations until its planned reopening in October 2027.
Visitors will have the chance to see it at the Sainsbury Exhibition Gallery of the British Museum in London from the autumn of next year until July 2027.
It is part of a major loan deal announced in July between British prime minister Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron. The British Museum will loan the Sutton Hoo collection, the Lewis Chessmen and other items to France in exchange for the tapestry.
In France, voices from the arts and conservation fields called on Macron to abandon the project due to concerns that transportation would cause irreparable damage to the carpet.
