The Bayeux Tapestry has gone on public display in the UK for the first time since it was created nearly 1,000 years ago. It was originally embroidered in England but kept for centuries in France, and tells the story of the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The 70m (230ft)-long 11th Century tapestry is being loaned to the British Museum while its usual home in Normandy, France undergoes renovation.
Doors at the museum opened at , with shield-wielding re-enactors in costumes from the era waiting outside. It's a loan almost 100 years in the making, but despite some opposition in France to it being moved, the French Culture minister recently said it arrived in a "wonderful state". History buffs arrived early en masse to catch a glimpse of the opening.
Adrian Harris told BBC News that it was a "real privilege" to be one of the first members of the public to see the tapestry in England. "I'm not a very emotive or expressive person but I was absolutely blown away by it," he said, moments after seeing the tapestry. He described how he was taken aback when he had an uninterrupted view of it at the top of stairs at the start of the exhibition.
Serena Smith took a tour inside the museum before her slot at . When she bought her ticket, she was 4,000th in the queue, despite clicking on a link moments after receiving an email from the British Museum. "I want you to write that I was first in the queue [today]," she stressed.
Armed with 24 pages of annotated notes, she said she was looking forward to trying to recognise the Normans from their round haircuts, and seeing their boats on board the ships they use to reach the English shores. Cecilia and Fabio Zanini were completely wowed by the scale of the Bayeux Tapestry. "I was amazed by the vibrancy of the colours.
The detail of the characters," Cecilia said. "It gave both of us goosebumps." Fabio said he was constantly looking left and right to see all the action and he was surprised by the scale of the tapestry, particularly the number of Norman boats and cavalry. "It feels like you're in the battlefield," he added, praising the "real sense of movement" in the embroidery.
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