Bayeux-on-Tyne: Drawing the Bayeux Tapestry

A rare look at sections of a 174-year-old Victorian paper copy of the Bayeux Tapestry. About Over time, several reproductions of the Bayeux Tapestry have been made. However, only rarely have copies been complete and to scale. One of the rarer, full-scale copies was created here in Newcastle. Commissioned in the early 1850s by John Collingwood Bruce, this facsimile was created by pupils at Bruce’s school, Percy Street Academy, Newcastle. In 1884, it was donated to the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle (SANT) where it lay hidden until the early 1990s when it was re-discovered. Bruce's copy is a larger scale than the original and is 5m longer. The drawing is largely complete, with only two sections missing. The copy is currently in 35 separate rolls. On display in this exhibition are four of these sections, showing key parts of the story. Bayeux Around Britain: a British Museum partnership, supported by WorldQuant. Image shows a section of the original Bayeux Tapestry © La Fabrique de patrimoines en Normandie / Antoine Cazin