This is the Bayeux
tapestry
it was commissioned to celebrate Williams conquest of England
It begins with the events that led up to it
the death of Edward the Confessor king of England and the succession of a new king
Harold
It's magical to be taken back a thousand years in this dark chamber to see history
Spelled out for you
70 Metres long right down to the end right round and the back and the story very vividly told
That at the same time along the friezes top and bottom wonderfully vivid pictures
Some of them of aesop's fables some of little stories some nobody knows what they are
little details of
farming life here
ploughing Sowing
and the man Killing birds with a sling
It's not strictly speaking a tapestry. It's actually
Needlework sewn with Wool onto Linen
I Suppose the story that we know best begins with the death of Edward the Confessor and his burial in
West Minster Abbey
West minster Abbey here with the hand of God
blessing it and
Here Harold receiving the crown
With his orb and his scepter
people looking on
and then spies come across and
Explain to William in Normandy what's happened in England. That
Harold has seized the crown and
Here he orders ships to be built for an invasion so the first thing to cut down the trees and start building the ships
putting aboard suits of chainmail leading two men to carry them
and Spears Arrows
and The last stage is to get the horses on board these long ships very tricky, and they don't look particularly happy
The boats set sail they cross over to Pevensey
Land safely at Pevensey ago ashore, and then the real task begins, but first the army has to be fed
There's a tureen, there, being boiled. They're sort of chicken Kebabs
they look like and here William feasting with his men
and then they're preparing for war
They build a a castle of wood at Hastings William's Followers set light to some of the anglo-Saxon houses
a woman leading her child away from her burning house
and then battle commences quite slowly to start with with the cavalry charging against Harold's forces
Heads chopped off hands chopped off and the battle rages all day long
in the confusion of the battle as
swords and axes clang against shields a dangerous rumor sweeps William's
Army that he has been killed so what does he do he turns around in his saddle?
lifts his helmet off and
shows himself to his troops
and the Battle goes on
And then we come to the famous design of Harold with the arrow in his eye
Nobody quite knows whether that is what happened and here slaughtered
I've seen this many times every time I see it. I have to say just brings the whole story of
William's invasion of England alive, you rarely feel here because this was done by people
Living only a Few years after the event you rarely feel the power and the passion that went into it
It's a completely
magical
work of art