Bayeux Tapestry ticket holders win Battle of the Queue to be first to see epic embroidery on UK soil for first time in 1,000 years

The first visitors to the British Museum's blockbuster Bayeux Tapestry exhibition have praised the 'magical' embroidery, hailing its 'incredible detail' and 'vivid colour'.The 1,000-year-old embroidery depicting the Norman conquest of England went on public display outside France for the first time today in a long-awaited presentation.Excited visitors who had tickets to the first day of the sold-out exhibition queued in London for the opening, with some museum workers donning period costumes.The display has sparked 'Bayeux mania' in Britain amid discussions about securing tickets and the pub opposite the museum renaming itself as 'The Beer Tapestry'.The masterpiece will be shown at the museum for the next ten months, having left France for the first time since the 11th century in an extraordinary transfer operation.'It's just magical, isn't it?' said Pauline Gairey, 53, a finance professional who had travelled to the capital from Wales, and recalled studying the tapestry at school.Inside the museum, staff were dressed in medieval battle dress with helmets, shields and swords. The 230ft-long tapestry is being displayed in a bespoke glass case.Lucky ticket-holders are being allotted 40 minutes to view the artwork from an elevated platform, before heading down some stairs to view the stitching up close.'It's amazing that the colour is still so vivid...it's amazing it's survived so well and so long,' said 60-year-old solicitor Richard Samuel as he left the exhibition. People queue to enter the British Museum in London today for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition The first visitors view the Bayeux Tapestry in London today as it goes on display to the public People wait in line outside the British Museum today as the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opens People view the Bayeux Tapestry today as it goes on display to the public at the museumMuseum workers welcome members of the public to the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition todayBelieved to have been sewn by English seamstresses before being taken to France, the embroidery tells the story of the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman defeat of Anglo-Saxon King Harold II.Charmaine Tsia, 56, a customer service manager visiting from Australia, said 'the length of it and just the incredible detail' had been what she most enjoyed about it.'It is back here for the first time in 950 years,' 46-year-old Catherine Pitt said outside the museum entrance as she waited to get inside. 'It is joint history between France and England. It is like a big bang moment in our history.'Didn't get tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry? Here are seven replicas you can look at instead... The Game of Thrones Tapestry: A 270ft woven by hand on a jacquard loom depicts the story of the HBO series, and is on display at the Ulster Museum in BelfastPayeux Tapestry: A 30ft tapestry commissioned by Mastercard depicts the history and future of payments and shopping, from Cowrie shells to contactless and AI agentsGreggs 'Ta-Pastry': The history of the Greggs sausage roll was stitched together by royal Embroider Claire Barrett and put on show at the Design Museum in LondonBayeux Tapestry replica: Cambridgeshire artist Mia Hansson has been working on a full-size copy of the tapestry since 2016 and hopes to complete it by October 2027The Slayeux Tapestry: A 36ft-long tapestry created by Bethesda to mark the release of video game 'Doom: The Dark Ages' was displayed at the Royal Armouries in LeedsBaa-ewe Tapestry: A 23ft foot tapestry featuring Shaun the Sheep and other characters was unveiled at the Natural History Museum ahead of new film 'The Beast of Mossy Bottom' Retiree Jill Brooks came down from Devon for the exhibition, which she said was a 'big deal'. She added: 'I was surprised when Emmanuel Macron announced it. I thought there would be objection.'Among the crowd to see the public unveiling were Bill and Martha Wallace, self-described 'history buffs' who had travelled more than 3,000 miles from their home in Connecticut in the US.Carol and Scarlett Heselwood, from Watford, were also lucky enough to be among the ticket holders for the first day's public viewing, with an estimated 7.5million people expected to visit the exhibition at the British Museum.Special conservation and security measures remain in place to ensure the artefact's safety while it is in the UK.The tapestry is considered to be one of the wonders of the medieval world and offers an insight into life in 11th century England both before and after the conquest – from castles, warfare and ships to clothing, food and furniture.It was likely to have been commissioned by a Norman patron and made by English embroiderers, using manuscript drawings from Canterbury.Last week, before the exhibition opened to the public, King Charles III visited, celebrating the artwork which features the conquest led by his ancestor William I.Charles was accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron.France has loaned Britain the medieval tapestry while its usual home in northern France is being refurbished.In return, French museums will display England's Sutton Hoo collection of helmets, shields and other metal artwork dating back to the seventh century.The British Museum has so far sold a record 100,000 tickets, which cost £25 to £33 for adults.Conservators watched nervously as the delicate, 11th-century artwork was transported by truck in a risky operation from its home in northern France to London in July. Ticket-holders are being allotted 40 minutes to view the artwork from an elevated platform People look at Bayeux Tapestry-themed items displayed for sale in a British Museum gift shop A member of British Museum staff scans the ticket of a visitor at the entrance to the tapestryFrance last week said two broken threads were spotted during a full condition check.However, the British Museum said the embroidery was 'virtually unchanged' with thread breaks, measuring a few millimetres at most, not considered significant damage.Michael Lewis, one of the four curators of the exhibition, said: '1066 is, of course, one of the most important events in English history, and the tapestry is the ultimate reflection of that in terms of a visual narrative.'Some people see it as akin to a graphic novel or a cartoon or something like that, it's immediately recognisable.'When they look at it, they can get it straight away. It's not like a dusty history book where it's quite hard to decipher.'There's action going on, and even if you don't understand all of the story, you enjoy it.'So, I think that's what makes the Bayeux Tapestry such an important thing. And, of course, the fact that the French state has allowed it to come to the UK and be displayed at the British Museum is an enormous act of diplomacy.'So, it's a fantastic thing to have happened, and I'm just so happy that it's happened in my lifetime. Staff in costume talk with ticket-holders as they queue before the opening of the exhibition The embroidered panel story recounts the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 People relax inside the Museum Tavern pub, which is currently renamed as The Beer Tapestry 'I think people will be talking about this for generations and generations, that they were there in London to see the Bayeux Tapestry when it came to this country, and hopefully they'll be inspired to go to Bayeux as well.'The first batch of tickets sold out within hours, generating sales of £2.5million for the British Museum. Another lot will go on sale on October 21, and the exhibition runs until July 11 next year.Dish towels, aprons and mugs featuring scenes from the tapestry are on sale at the museum, while luxury store Liberty has released cushions inspired by the artwork, priced at £165 each.Even the budget bakery chain Greggs has jumped on the bandwagon, light-heartedly unveiling its own embroidered 'Ta-Pastry' to tell the story of 'the conquest of the British high street by our most treasured (and tasty) artifacts'.A museum in Reading is enjoying a flurry of attention for its little-known Victorian replica of the tapestry, while the Battle of Hastings site anticipated greater footfall from those who missed out on exhibition tickets.Plans to loan the tapestry to London had been considered twice before, but both were aborted: in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and in 1966 for the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings.