00:0070 meters long, roughly the length of six buses.
00:04Embroidered across, it is the story of one of the most important moments in English history,
00:11the Norman Conquest of 1066.
00:15But the story of a biotapestry itself is almost as fascinating as the one it depicts.
00:22It's a piece of fabric that has survived for almost 1,000 years.
00:27For centuries, it was kept in by a cathedral.
00:31Then, during the French Revolution, it was almost destroyed.
00:36According to a long-standing local account, it was nearly cut into pieces to make covers for soldiers' carts,
00:45before a local lawyer stepped in to save it.
00:49In 1803, it was sent to Paris.
00:52Napoleon was preparing to invade England at the time.
00:55Though, historians still debate how far he intended to use the tapestry as propaganda.
01:03It was eventually returned to Bayonne.
01:05Then, during the Second World War, the Nazis took an interest in it.
01:10Now, almost 1,000 years after it was made, it has crossed the channel once again and arrived in London.
01:18Yes, many historians believe it was actually made in England.
01:22On loan from France, it will go on display at the British Museum from the 10th of September, 2026 until
01:30July, 2027.
01:33It's the first time the tapestry has been shown in England since it was made.
01:39Macron even joked about it.
01:41It took probably more years to deliver this project than all the Brexit texts.
01:49It's our revolt in the country has been met with sharp criticism from artists like David Hockney and from the
01:58public.
01:59Other concerns about its fragility and the risk of damage from moving it.
02:05And it was suggested that all the people who汽�new and the lenses did have changed.
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