THE British Museum’s blockbuster Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opened its doors to the public today, with visitors queuing to see the 1,000-year-old embroidery for themselves.
But the excitement has been overshadowed by fury over the £33 ticket price, with Brits branding the cost “excessive” and pointing out you could have seen the real thing for just €12 (£10.31) in France, while a replica is on display in Reading for free.
One user wrote on X.com: “Was planning a ‘The Bayeux Tapestry’ visit, sadly, The British Museum exploiting-milking this exhibition £33.”
Another added: “The Bayeux Tapestry is sh**e, and it costs £33 to be herded past it.”
A third fumed: “£33 is excessive, and unpleasant money-grabbing by the British Museum.
“It won’t cost much more for a family of four to take a ferry to France and view the tapestry in its normal home in Bayeux.
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“You can pay your respects at the Normandy beaches on the same trip.”
One person, who said they had visited the tapestry’s usual home in Normandy, wrote: “Personally, I preferred the town of Bayeux with its lovely medieval houses.
“The tapestry was secondary, so I wouldn’t pay thirty three quid to see it for about twenty minutes.”
But not everyone agreed with the backlash, with some defending the price tag given the huge cost of transporting the priceless artefact from France.
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One person wrote on Reddit: “It does seem expensive, but it was also extremely expensive to move to ensure it wasn’t damaged.
“It is also very, very impressive. You can’t get an idea of quite how big it is until you see it in person.”
Another joked: “52p per meter. Better than Carpet Right.”
A third pointed out: “Not as expensive as having to go to France to see it! Plus half the world that wants to see their heritage has to pay to come here to see it, so I think it’s only fair we have that once in a while.”
The British Museum charges £33 for standard adult tickets, or £36.50 including a donation, with off-peak and super off-peak slots slightly cheaper at £27 and £25 respectively.
Under 16s go free when booked alongside an adult ticket.
Students, 16 to 18-year-olds, jobseekers and disabled visitors pay £25, while National Art Pass holders get a discount, and museum Members can visit twice at no extra cost.
The sell-out display has sparked a nationwide Bayeux craze, with newspapers producing special guides, online forums buzzing with tips on securing tickets, and the pub opposite the museum temporarily renaming itself “The Beer Tapestry”.
The masterpiece will be shown at the museum in central London for the next 10 months, having left France for the first time since the 11th century.
It depicts the Norman invasion of England in 1066, the most famous date in the nation’s history, and tells the story of the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and the Norman defeat of Anglo-Saxon King Harold II.
The 70-metre-long tapestry is being displayed in a bespoke glass case, with ticket holders allotted 40minutes to view it from above on a bridge, before heading down some stairs to view the colourful stitching up close.
It is believed to have been sewn by English seamstresses before being taken to France centuries ago.
Visitors who queued on opening day spoke of their excitement at finally seeing the famous artwork in the flesh after learning about it in school.
Pauline Gairey, 53, a finance professional who had travelled from Wales, said: “It’s just magical, isn’t it? It’s just so wonderful to have it visible in the UK so I’m really excited to be here.”
Jessica O’Neill, 45, who runs a YouTube channel about museums, said: “It’s just such an evocative kind of comic strip that still continues to fascinate us to this day, a thousand years after it was made.”
Last week, before the exhibition opened to the public, King Charles visited the museum to see the artwork, which features the conquest led by his distant ancestor William I.
He was accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron, as France officially loaned Britain the medieval tapestry while its usual home in northern France undergoes refurbishment.
In return, French museums will display England’s Sutton Hoo collection of helmets, shields and other metal artwork dating back to the seventh century.
The first batch of Bayeux tickets sold out within hours, generating sales of £2.5million, with a further batch due to go on sale in October for visits between January and March next year.
Fans who can’t bag tickets don’t even need to head to the British Museum, or France, to catch a glimpse of the famous scenes for free.
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Reading Museum in Berkshire is home to a full-size Victorian replica of the Bayeux Tapestry, which visitors can view without paying a penny.
The faithful copy is also 70 metres long and was stitched by 35 skilled Victorian women in 1885, depicting the same events leading up to the Battle of Hastings.