The British Museum (BM) has banned visitors from taking photographs of the 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry, after concerns the habit was causing delays for others who were trying to see the work. The 70m-long embroidery is on loan to the United Kingdom for the first time since it was created nearly 1,000 years ago, in a special exhibition that has drawn unprecedented levels of interest.
Visitors had been able to take photographs when the show dedicated to the tapestry, which depicts the Norman conquest of England, first opened on 10 September. However, the next day the museums specialist Maxwell Blowfield reported that the BM had changed its policy, with a notice going up on its website stating that photography was prohibited. The museum has now confirmed its reasoning for the move in a statement.
“There has been enormous interest in viewing the tapestry, and our priority is to ensure that all visitors have the best experience possible,” a museum spokesperson says. “In order to do this, we have made the decision to restrict photography while people are moving along the length of the tapestry.”
The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition has proven immensely popular with the public. The museum sold...