Reading Museum in Reading, Berkshire, is launching weekly guided tours of its Bayeux Tapestry gallery from February 2026. Residents can join expert‑led sessions every Thursday and Saturday to learn about the history and craftsmanship of the 70‑metre artwork. The schedule coincides with the 960th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings and the wider ‘Year of the Normans’ cultural programme in 2026–27.
Tours run on Thursdays at 2:30pm and Saturdays at 2:00pm and last about an hour. The museum says the sessions provide a guided alternative to self‑guided visits and are suitable for all ages. Tickets are priced at £8.00; the museum advises booking in advance as tours sell out quickly during this anniversary year.
The display is the only full‑size facsimile of the Bayeux Tapestry in Britain. It was embroidered in 1885–1886 by 35 women of the Leek Embroidery Society under Elizabeth Wardle’s direction, and Alderman Arthur Hill purchased the replica for Reading in 1895; it has been on permanent display in the town since then. Reading Borough Council manages the museum, and the expanded tour programme highlights both the medieval story and the Victorian craft that produced the replica.
Interest in the gallery is expected to rise as the British Museum prepares a related exhibition of the original tapestry later in 2026. Reading’s replica includes a distinctive blue border with the names of the embroiderers and other details that differentiate it from some other reproductions. More information on the replica’s origins and the museum’s Bayeux Gallery is available on Reading Museum’s website: https://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/collections/britains-bayeux-tapestry
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