MUSEUMS & EVENTS

Discover Jacobites in Derby, a beautiful castle in Powis and Reading’s remarkable Victorian replica of the Bayeux Tapestry

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Reading's replica tapestry

Reading Museum contains a full-size recreation of the Bayeux Tapestry that was made by skilled embroiderers during the 1880s 

Located a short walk from the town’s major railway station, Reading Museum is situated within Reading Town Hall. Containing galleries describing the history of Reading and the surrounding area, the museum has been open since 1883.

One of the museum’s most famous exhibits is an accurate replica of the Bayeux Tapestry. It was made in Staffordshire in the 1880s by 35 women of the Leek Embroidery Society and is the only known full-size woven copy of the original tapestry in existence.

Measuring 230ft (70m) long, the tapestry depicts the events of the Norman Conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy in 1066. Told from the Norman perspective, the tapestry’s details include the preparations for war and William’s decisive victory against King Harold II of England at the Battle of Hastings. The original tapestry was probably made in England a few years after 1066, although it was sent to Normandy shortly afterwards. It now resides in a special museum in Bayeux.