French voice fears over Bayeux Tapestry move to UK

As the resistance rises in France ahead of its transfer to London, the Bayeux Tapestry, which records the Norman invasion of England in 1066, will be closed to the public in France from Monday. When it goes on display at the British Museum in September next year, it will be possible to see the nearly 1,000-year-old work of art as it goes into display. However, experts are scathing that the 70 million-long (230ft) masterpiece is in a far too fragile a condition to be carried across the Channel, despite the French art world's ardent opposition to it. When French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met in London in July, they announced the loan.

The Bayeux Museum has seen a significant rise in tourist numbers in the last few weeks, ahead of its closing on September 1st. For the tapestry, a new display space is being constructed, but it will take at least two years. Macron's long-awaited closure is the catalyst that gave him the opportunity to perform his act of cultural diplomacy, committing France to loaning the tapestry to the British Museum a year starting next September. However, many in the French art world have expressed outcry over the promise, which has triggered an outcries. A petition, which refers to the loan as a cultural offence, has received 60,000 signatures. What many protesters are most concerned about is the high-handed way they feel Macron made his gesture to the United Kingdom, defying the instructions of experts who claim that the vibrations in a long ride by road could cause irreparable harm.

On August 22, a French official in charge of the loan defended the move, arguing that the work was not too fragile to be carried. Philippe Bélaval said no decision had been made on how to transport the tapestry, but that a report from earlier this year that had detailed recommendations on handling and transporting. Belaval said,

This report does not state that this tapestry is untransportable,

Belave said, quoting the AFP news service. He did not reveal the study's authors or their conclusions. Cecile Binet, a regional museum consultant for Normandy, said in a YouTube post in February this year that moving the tapestry long distances would pose a danger to its conservation, adding that it was "too fragile. The massive embroidery, which is widely believed to have been handmade in Kent, will be on display in London from next fall to July 2027. Treasures from the Anglo-Saxon burial mounds at Sutton Hoo and the 12th Century Lewis chess pieces will travel to museums in Normandy in exchange. TheBayeux Tapestry, which dates back to the 11th century, chronicles a turbulent period in Anglo-French relations as Anglo Saxon dominance was replaced by Norman rule. Although the final portion of the embroidery is missing, it comes with the Anglo Saxons fleeing at the end of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Its 58 scenes, 626 characters, and 202 horses give a unique glimpse of Normandy and England's medieval period, revealing not only military history but also the intricate details of daily life.