PAThe British Museum has announced changes to how visitors see the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition after concerns over long queues and overcrowding.
The measures include plans for longer opening hours, as well as an audio guide, additional seating and clearer signage.
A museum spokesperson said the public response to the 11th Century embroidery had been “extraordinary”, but acknowledged that some visitors had waited longer than they would have wanted.
Some people reported waits of up to two hours, while hundreds of ticket holders were reportedly turned away due to backlogs when the museum closed early last week due to a private event.
One disappointed visitor said the trip had been a “big event” they had looked forward to, while another wrote she had been waiting since she was seven to see the Bayeux Tapestry, and bought tickets only to be turned away after queuing.
The museum later apologised to those who had been unable to enter and said they would be issued refunds and priority booking slots for a rearranged time.
From Monday, visitors will be offered an audio guide with more information about the embroidery, while additional signage and seating will be provided for those queuing to reach the main exhibition.
The museum said it planned to introduce longer opening hours to prevent queues building during the day and allow people with later bookings more time to view the exhibition.
Details of the extended hours have not yet been disclosed.
ReutersDemand for the exhibition has been high since tickets first went on sale in July, with a record 100,000 sold on the first day.
Members of the public who were not successful in the first ticket release will have two further chances to view the masterpiece when further tickets go on sale in October and January.
Adult tickets cost £33 during peak times and £27 at off-peak hours, compared with its usual €12 (£10) fee to see the tapestry in its home in Bayeux, Normandy. Children under 16 can visit the London exhibition for free.
The exhibition opened on 10 September but has experienced a series of problems with queues and congestion, with some visitors spending longer than their allocated 40-minute slot viewing the tapestry.
Visitors were later stopped from taking photographs and a recorded message was introduced encouraging people to continue moving through the one-way exhibition.
The 70m-long Bayeux Tapestry depicts 58 scenes outlining the extraordinary events surrounding the Norman conquest of England, the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the end of Anglo-Saxon rule in Britain.
Despite its name, the work is an embroidery rather than a tapestry and contains approximately 626 human figures and 200 horses.
The Bayeux Tapestry is on loan from the French government, having been transported from its home in Normandy – where it has been exhibited since 1983. It will be on display until July 2027.
The loan marks the first time the tapestry has returned to the UK since it was created more than 900 years ago.
