The British Museum has apologised for the visitor experience at its blockbuster Bayeux Tapestry exhibition and announced changes to address concerns over long queues and overcrowding.
The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opened last month, with the embroidery now on public display in the UK for the first time since it was created nearly 1,000 years ago.
Depicting the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the work has been loaned to the British Museum from September 2026 until July 2027 as part of a historic agreement with France.
The tapestry, which dates back to the 11th century, is displayed flat for the first time, and in one continuous length, in a special show case.
The Bayeux Tapestry is being loaned to the British Museum from September 2026 through July 2027 La Fabrique de patrimoines en Normandie, Antoine Cazin
Via the BBC, some guests hoping to see the 70-metre-long masterpiece have reported waiting up to two hours, and hundreds of ticket holders were reportedly turned away due to backlogs last week.
In response, the museum will introduce new measures, including longer opening hours, as well as an audio guide with more information about the embroidery.
More signage and seating will be introduced for people queuing to see the exhibition.
In addition, the British Museum's director Nicholas Cullinan has apologised to visitors who experienced difficulties when attending the exhibition.
"Anyone that doesn't have a good experience, we're really sorry about that and we want to put it right," Nicholas Cullinan told the BBC.
Museum is "learning lessons"
"You don't want anyone that comes to see it to have a bad experience, so our focus is very much on getting it right and learning lessons," he said.
Demand for the exhibition has been high since tickets first went on sale in July, with the British Museum recording the biggest ticketing day for any exhibition in its history.
Although tickets are sold out until the end of this year, the British Museum will release more tickets on 21 October for dates between January and March 2027.
This will be followed by another release in January for dates between April and July 2027.
