'Nothing left to chance' for Bayeux Tapestry's journey to London

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. 'Nothing left to chance' for Bayeux Tapestry's journey to London7 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleHugh SchofieldParisFrench Ministry of CultureThe artwork was meticulously inspected before its removalThe 950-year-old Bayeux Tapestry will be as safe "as a baby" when it makes its unprecedented journey to London next month, according to French officials. The tapestry will be leaving Bayeux for only the third time in its history before being put on display for nine months at the British Museum. Serious reservations about the journey have been raised by many in France's art world, who say the tapestry is too fragile and too important to move.

But after two dry-runs with facsimiles, the culture ministry in Paris is confident the technical difficulties have been overcome. "I am extremely serene," said Delphine Christophe, the ministry's head of heritage and architecture. "Nothing has been left to chance.

The Details

"To preserve it from possible damage, the 70m (230ft) tapestry will be placed in a kind of double crate – a case inside a shell. Last September, 90 people were required to lift the artefact from its display in Bayeux and place it on a folding stand. This is currently at an undisclosed location somewhere in or near Bayeux.

Bayeux Tapestry to return to UK on loan after 900 yearsSix key scenes from the Bayeux TapestryFor the journey to London, the stand – which concertinas down into a relatively small space – will be put into an aluminium crate that regulates temperature and humidity. That crate will then be housed in an outer cage, with 12 metal springs acting as shock-absorbers above and below. The ensemble will be placed on a lorry which then travels by road and the railway shuttle under the Channel for the 560km (348 mile) journey.

"The idea is that the vertical shocks which will occur are transformed into horizontal shocks, causing the inner crate to rock to and fro like a baby in a cradle," said Cecilia Gauvin, an expert in art conservation. French Ministry of CultureThe Bayeux Tapestry depicts the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066The two dummy-runs to London – in February and April – showed that shocks are absorbed to a measurement of 96% – reduced, in other words, to the level artworks regularly experience simply by being on display. "Don't forget an artwork receives vibrations merely from the footsteps of all the visitors to a museum," said Kerstin Kracht, an expert in vibration reduction.

What Experts Say

The team observed that English roads contain more bumps and potholes than their French equivalents – but not so many as to upset calculations. The date of the transport is being kept secret for security reasons, but it will be sometime in July. Once at the British Museum, the tapestry will be removed with the same care and manpower as was required for its storage, before being laid out – flat, not vertically – for display.

Some specialists – such as Didier Rykner, leading French arts writer – remain sceptical.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.