Supported by WorldQuant’, a nationwide programme designed by the Museum to communicate the story and significance of the Bayeux Tapestry to as many people as possible, and make it more accessible to schoolchildren.
Through a network of more than 60 partner organisations providing education programming, including museums, galleries, libraries, archives, cathedrals and heritage sites, the programme will ensure that Bayeux Tapestry-related activity is within an hour’s drive of two-thirds of the country, while the digital experience is available to all schoolchildren everywhere. The initiative reflects the Museum’s ambition that this historic loan should be a national moment, reaching far beyond London and engaging communities across the UK.
The Bayeux Tapestry Presented by Igor Tulchinsky will be accompanied by a wide-ranging national programme of activity, including a digital exhibition pack for partners and a British Museum Spotlight loan of a 19th century cast of the tapestry, touring to several destinations.
On 14 October 2026, the Museum will also broadcast live into hundreds of classrooms across the country, bringing the story of the Bayeux Tapestry to life through a curriculum-linked schools event for Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 pupils. Delivered in partnership with the British Library, English Heritage and Norwich Museum Service, the broadcast is designed particularly for schools unable to visit the exhibition in person, the interactive broadcast will become the largest classroom in the country with direct access to experts and a live question-and-answer session.
There are also grants and funding opportunities available for national partners towards purchasing AV equipment to support in making the most of the programme’s digital opportunities. A nationwide celebration of crafting inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, in partnership with Craft Council, will take place in spring/summer 2027.
As part of its commitment to widening access for young people, the Museum also announced that every school child visiting The Bayeux Tapestry Presented by Igor Tulchinsky as part of an organised school visit will receive a free packed lunch. This has been made possible through the support of Benugo.
Quotes
Dr Nicholas Cullinan OBE, Director of the British Museum, said: ‘Since this loan was announced last year, we have been committed to making this a significant cultural moment for the whole of the UK.
‘The Bayeux Around Britain programme will help ensure that this once-in-a-generation exhibition is not confined to Bloomsbury but accessible to tens of millions of people around the country.’
Igor Tulchinsky, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of WorldQuant, said: ‘I’ve spent my life building a global education and talent ecosystem around a simple belief: education is one of the most powerful forms of social benefit because its impact compounds across generations.
‘Few exhibitions can inspire the kind of wonder that the Bayeux Tapestry does. Through this student programme, which uses culture, history and experiential learning to connect young people with a foundational work of human ingenuity, I hope students leave inspired to learn more and to fulfil their potential.’
Museums Minister Baroness Twycross, said: ‘The return of the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK for the first time in a millennium is a truly monumental moment and a real highlight in the cultural calendar.
‘It’s fantastic to see this programme being launched by the British Museum in 1066 country. We want to make sure that Bayeux really is all around Britain, with school children and communities up and down the country being able to see the Tapestry and learn more about this fascinating period in our history.’
MP for Hastings and Rye, Helena Dollimore, said: ‘Although in Hastings we have often been at the centre of historical events, we have not always felt the benefits. The Bayeux Tapestry’s return to our shores for the first time in almost a thousand years will be the exhibition of a generation, and I pay tribute to all involved on both sides of the Channel.
‘I have been working hard with the British Museum and the Government to ensure that our area, and our school children are truly part of this national moment and I’m delighted that children from 1066 country will now receive free priority tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum. And the loan of the Stothart Cast to the Hastings Museum also marks an important collaboration, as well as the Hastings Embroidery going back on show. We want to encourage those who visit the Tapestry in London to come down to the South Coast and see where the action took place, and enjoy our excellent hospitality when they do. We promise visitors will get a warmer welcome than those in 1066!’