When it is loaned to the British Museum in 2026, theBayeux Tapestry will be covered by an indemnity from the British Treasury of about £800 million, reflecting the exceptional value attributed to this extraordinary 70-meter-long textile artifact that chronicles the Norman conquest of England.
The compensation, guaranteed by British taxpayers, will cover the work from any damage or loss both during its relocation from Normandy to London (in fact, it is currently housed in the Bayeux Museum in Normandy) and during its stay in the exhibition, until July 2027, which promises to be one of the most successful exhibitions in recent years in the United Kingdom.
The British Treasury told the Financial Times that it has received an estimate of the Bayeux Tapestry’s valuation, which has been provisionally approved. According to this estimate, the work will be insured against possible damage (there had been controversy and even a petition asking France not to lend the tapestry because of its fragility) to the tune of around £800 million for the duration of its loan to the British Museum.
The famous tapestry, made of woollen threads embroidered on linen cloth and dating from the 11th century, depicts the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and the subsequent Battle of Hastings. It will reach London from France as part of a bilateral agreement between the French and British governments. The transportation, as well as the conservation and exhibition stages, will be covered by the Government Indemnity Scheme (GIS), the state-run alternative to commercial insurance program that allows works of art and cultural property to be exhibited to the public in the UK, which would otherwise not be possible due to the excessively high cost of insurance, and which provides indemnity coverage when the goods are on short- or long-term loan.
According to the agreement, a “test trip” of the entire journey to the host museum will be made prior to official transfer using a crate containing a facsimile of the tapestry equipped with a vibration analysis device and meeting isothermal storage standards and security requirements. Upon the return of the tapestry to Bayeux, the British Museum is to prepare at its own expense a report on the conservation status of the work.
The Bayeux Tapestry will be displayed in the British Museum’s Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery in the fall of 2026. This will be the first exhibition of the work in the United Kingdom since its creation nearly 1,000 years ago. A loan of extraordinary historical significance that strengthens the cultural dialogue between France and the United Kingdom.
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| Indemnity cover of £800 million for loan of Bayeux tapestry to British Museum |
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