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British Museum sells second set of Bayeux exhibition tickets / Photo: © AFP
British Museum sells second set of Bayeux exhibition tickets
The second tranche of tickets for the landmark Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at London's British Museum went on sale Wednesday, as thousands joined an online queue shrugging off some initial visitor complaints.
The medieval artwork depicting the 1066 Norman invasion of England in painstaking detail is on an unprecedented loan from France and will be exhibited at the British Museum until July 11, 2027.
Some 80,000 users joined an online queue when the first set of tickets went on sale earlier this year, according to the museum, generating a record £2.5 million ($3.3 million) in a single day.
The second lot went on sale Wednesday for viewings from January 1 to March 31, 2027, and will be followed by a final sale early next year.
Tickets for the exhibition, which opened in September, cost up to £33 ($44).
The display of the delicate, nearly 1,000-year-old embroidery has been the subject of much fanfare and some trepidation due to its fragility, with King Charles III and French President Emmanuel Macron previewing the exhibition together.
Conservationists voiced concerns about its risky cross-Channel journey from France this summer, but despite two broken threads spotted during condition checks, the British Museum said the artwork was "virtually unchanged".
The exhibition has hit other snags however, with the museum agreeing to provide an audio-described tour after a visually-impaired man objected to a lack of inclusive provisions.
Museum director Nicholas Cullinan also said he was "really sorry" if visitors had a bad experience after some complained about long wait times in the queue to enter the exhibition as well as some cancellations.
The museum has said it will make changes to improve visitors' experience, such as extending opening hours and offering an audio guide, more seats and clearer signs.
Depicting the Battle of Hastings and events leading up to it, the 70-metre-long (230-foot-long) tapestry is being displayed flat in a raised glass cabinet. It is normally hung vertically in France.
Photography has been banned to keep the crowds moving, as visitors are encouraged to view the tapestry within a strict 40-minute slot.
But the exhibition has also received rave reviews from newspapers, with The Guardian calling the display "perfect" and The Times dubbing it "magnificent".
E.R. Xavier--JDB
