Bayeux tapestry arrives on British shores for ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ exhibition

Workers unload the structure containing the Bayeux tapestry from a lorry at the British Museum in London on Friday. Photograph: Kwiyeon Ha/AP View image in fullscreen Workers unload the structure containing the Bayeux tapestry from a lorry at the British Museum in London on Friday. Photograph: Kwiyeon Ha/AP Bayeux tapestry arrives on British shores for ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ exhibition Crowd cheers as artwork depicting Norman conquest is unloaded at British Museum after cross-Channel voyage Like the man whose conquest of England almost a millennium ago it recounts, the Bayeux tapestry crossed the Channel in the dead of night, in as much secrecy as possible, landing on the country’s south coast early the following day. The artefact’s arrival on Friday marked the first time it has returned to England in nearly 1,000 years, and British Museum staff will begin to prepare it for exhibition during its year-long loan. The museum’s director, Nicholas Cullinan, said: “Watching the tapestry arrive at the museum is a moment I will never forget and I look forward to seeing the exhibition take shape over the coming weeks and welcoming the first visitors through our doors this September.” He added: “This has been a monumental effort from colleagues at the British Museum and our partners in the UK and France .” View image in fullscreen The tapestry chronicles the Norman conquest of England. Photograph: Kamil Zihnioglu/AP The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has said the loan shows what France and the UK “can achieve when they join forces”. Writing in the Times , he said the loan was a “tangible expression of longstanding friendship and a sign of our shared desire to see France and the United Kingdom build their future together”. The UK culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said: “Make no mistake – this is a historic moment and a significant act of friendship as we welcome this iconic historical tapestry back to Britain for the first time in almost 1,000 years. “This exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about this pivotal period in our national story and our shared heritage and friendship with France, which endures to the present day. I’m delighted to welcome this tapestry back on to British shores.” The Metropolitan and Kent police forces escorted the delicate 11th-century work from Folkestone to London in what the British Museum has called “one of the most significant international museum loans ever undertaken between the two countries”. View image in fullscreen British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan as the tapestry is unloaded on Friday. Photograph: Kwiyeon Ha/AP It arrived in a large yellow truck just before 3am, having made its way through the empty streets of London. The secretive operation was the result of years of negotiations, tricky logistical planning and multiple technical studies to ensure the integrity of the 70-metre-long (230ft) medieval artwork. The artefact was folded accordion-style in a climate-controlled case that was placed