Bayeux Tapestry replica gains attention in Reading

A full-size replica of the Bayeux Tapestry at Reading Museum is drawing new attention as the original 11th-century work goes on public display in London from September 10.

The Reading version has been displayed in the town west of London for about 130 years. Curator Brendan Carr said it is the only known full-sized woven copy and called it a masterpiece of the Arts and Crafts movement.

The replica was made by 35 women from a Victorian-era embroidery society in Leek, central England, who worked from photographs of the original from 1885 to 1886. It is almost identical to the original, apart from small differences including the removal of nudity, and it toured internationally before going on display in Reading in 1895.

Carr said attention around the British Museum exhibition had raised awareness of the reproduction.