Bayeux Tapestry sent to UK

There are 9 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 4,283 times. The latest Post (July 11, 2026 at 8:46 AM) was by Rice.

    I seems that the famous Bayeux tapestry of 210 feet lenght, will be sent temporarily to the UK to be shown to the public, with a previous restoration. A good gesture of the French, that were traditionally foes of England until Napoleon´s times.

    Needless to say,the Bayeux tapestry tells the history of the Norman conquest. A curious thing, as the Normans came first from the Scandinavia, then establshed in France and then conquered England in 1066 AD-


    The French were always eager to appear magnanimous. Even if sometimes they were not.

    I can remember the words that the military officers said at war with the English, in an utmost respectful way:

    "Messieurs les Anglais, tirez vous le premier"

    You English gentlemen, shot first!

    When the English invaded BA in 1806, there was a war between the Spanish garrison and the British army. The British army was defeated, and their general, William Carr Beresford, offered his sword to Jacques de Liniers et Bremond, a French officer under the service of the Spanish King.

    Liniers refused to take the sword in a gentle and well mannered gesture. He took prisoners but they were not shot and lately were sent to England. without any maltreatment.

    Quote from Carlos

    The French were always eager to appear magnanimous. Even if sometimes they were not.

    Your words reminded me of something long forgotten.. As children, we learned that France had given the Statue of Liberty to the United States. What was not said was that the gift was the statue alone, without installation in New York Harbor. While the French government did not contribute, the people of France worked very hard in the early 1880's to raise approximately $400,000 for the statue, while the American people worked equally hard to raise the remaining$250,000 for the base and installation so that the gift could be received.

    Quote from Glamdring

    The building that normally houses the tapestry is up for severe restoration, so sending it here for a while is handy,

    Well, the French are magnanimous but also smart to take advantages of incoming opportunities. The time that the tapestry will be showed in England, they will use to restore the building in Bayeux.

    I’ve just been reading about the dark-of-night transfer to the British Museum, and the very high interest in seeing the Bayeux Tapestry. As Carlos pointed out in his 2018 post, this sharing of such a treasure is a win-win.