The Bayeux Tapestry.

The Bayeux Tapestry.

I have heard about the Bayeux Tapestry but to be perfectly honest I really had no idea what it was and what it would look like. So off on a day trip we went to visit Bayeux and to see its world famous Tapestry.

Bayeux was the first town to be liberated by the allies in 1944 and was therefore fortunate to escape war damage. It, like most of the area in the north east of Normandy has just celebrated the 70^th anniversary of the landing of the American, British and Canadian troops on the D-Day beaches and Frances subsequent liberation from the Germans. The city has flags from the 3 countries and French flags flying on all its buildings, there are buntings hanging across the roads in the older part of town and there are red, blue and white flowers everywhere. It really makes the town look so pretty and very patriotic and we consider that we are very lucky to have seen the area with all the red, white and blue around.

               The Town Hall in Bayeux decorated for the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings.

 

                                  The Building in which the famous tapestry of Bayeux is housed.

 Now for the Tapestry. It is housed in the older part of the city in a renovated seminar and the story of why and how the tapestry came into existence, the story that it tells and how it was made is explained very well in an audio visual presentation. By the time you get to actually see the tapestry you are very well-informed and have a good understanding of the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of Britain lead by William the Conqueror in 1066.

 

 

Photos of the actual tapestry.  

The Bayeux Tapestry was started soon after the conquest and it is said to justify William the Conqueror’s invasion of England. It is an embroidered hanging using two ply wool yarn in 10 different plant dyed colours. It is 70mts long and 50cms wide and it tells the story in 58 episodic scenes of the events leading up to and including the Battle of Hastings and the defeat and death of King Harold. It is action packed with 626 characters, 174 horses, 55 dogs, 37 ships 49 trees and 37 buildings. The coloured wool used to do the embroidery has faded little since the 11^th century.

 

A scene showing the horses and dogs.

It is truly a major work of art and a very important historical document. It was amazing to actually see the full length of the tapestry on display and to see the magnificent condition that it is still in.