A history fan says she was turned away from the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition after a section of the British Museum closed early. Dr Ellen Walker, 29, had booked tickets for 3pm on September 30 but was unable to enter the gallery.
The 11th-century tapestry is on loan to the museum in central London while the Bayeux Museum in Normandy, France – where it is usually displayed – undergoes renovation. This is the first time in its 1,000-year history that it has been displayed in the UK.
Queuing advice leads to disappointment
The ticketed exhibition opened to the public on September 10. More than 65,000 people joined the online queue for the first batch of tickets, which cost £33 for adults plus an optional £3.50 donation.
Dr Walker, who had wanted to see the tapestry since she was a little girl, arrived at 2.15pm with her mum. She told Metro: 'We arrived at 2.15pm and I asked a member of staff if it would be advisable to start queuing immediately, as the queue looked quite long. They said it would be better if we started queuing at 3pm sharp, and that we would definitely get in.'
'So we wandered elsewhere in the museum and returned to the queue at 3pm, as advised. After 20 minutes of queuing, we were informed the gallery was closing.'
Visitors offered rebooking or refund
Dr Walker said she was not told why she had been turned away but was handed a printed note from the museum apologising for the disruption. 'One ticket staff member said they didn't know why this was happening, and they seemed just as surprised as us,' she added, saying she 'does not blame them at all'.
The artist, who works as a comic artist and illustrator, said: 'I've been wanting to see the Bayeux Tapestry since I was seven. I'm a comic artist and illustrator by practice, so the tapestry means a lot to me, as it is essentially an embroidered comic!'
'I was already going to be in London for my graduation, so we booked to coincide with it. But there were people also queuing who had either come from elsewhere in the UK expressly to see the tapestry, or had come from abroad, which must be really disappointing for them.'
Another visitor claimed on X that she had been turned away after queuing for 40 minutes. The museum was scheduled to close for an event from 4pm, but earlier delays meant the queue to enter the exhibition had to be closed.
Museum apologises and reschedules tickets
Around 200 people have been offered the opportunity to rebook or a refund. The notice handed out by staff read: 'We apologise for the disruption to your visit to The Bayeux Tapestry today. If we are able to re-open the gallery today, we unfortunately will not be able to admit you at a time later than listed on your ticket. This is due to time and space restrictions in the gallery. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment caused.'
It also encouraged visitors to contact the museum to be given a new ticket for an alternative date, or to get a refund.
A British Museum spokesperson said: 'We have seen unprecedented demand for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition and our priority is to enable as many people to see it as possible, while maintaining our commitment to the best possible visitor experience. Unfortunately, delays earlier in the day meant that some visitors were unable to enter at their allotted time. We have apologised to those affected and are giving a refund as well as rescheduling their ticket for free. This was an isolated situation, and we appreciate visitors' patience and understanding.'
