British Museum bans visitors from photographing Bayeux Tapestry
Visitors stopping to take pictures of the 68m medieval embroidery were holding up others, prompting the rule change.
**British Museum bans visitors from photographing Bayeux Tapestry**
The British Museum has stopped visitors from taking photographs of the Bayeux Tapestry because of concerns that people were spending too long looking at the historic piece.
Curators had first permitted photography, but changed that decision after long queues meant ticket-holders were delayed to the exhibition.
The medieval embroidery, which is being shown in Britain for the first time, illustrates the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Visitors are being admitted to the sold-out exhibition in groups every 40 minutes and instructed to keep moving along the 68m (230ft) work in one direction.
However, people pausing to take pictures along the way were disrupting that flow and holding up later visitors.
A British Museum spokeswoman said: "There has been enormous interest in viewing the tapestry, and our priority is to ensure that all visitors have the best experience possible.
"In order to do this, we have made the decision to restrict photography while people are moving along the length of the tapestry."
The 11th Century artwork - which is not a tapestry and was actually embroidered in England - is currently on loan from its home in Normandy, France, and will remain on display in London until July 2027.
British Museum bosses decided the embroidery would be shown in a single, straight line, unlike the horseshoe-shaped gallery where it is displayed in Bayeux.
The loan was confirmed after a Franco-British summit in 2025, following years of planning between the two countries.
Under the agreement, the British Museum is paying the costs of the move while insurance is being provided by the UK government.
The artefact was carefully packed in a climate-controlled crate and given a police escort during the unprecedented 350-mile (560km) journey from its home to central London.
Some would-be visitors have complained about the high ticket prices - as much as three times what it costs to see the Bayeux Tapestry in France - which are intended to cover the museum's expenses.
Tickets for the exhibition are sold out until 31 December, but more are expected to go on sale in October.
Alternatively, a full-scale replica of the Bayeux Tapestry can be seen for free in Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire and at Reading Museum.