A ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ display this autumn will see the famous Bayeux Tapestry return from France to the UK for the first time since it was made almost 1,000 years ago.
But while the British Museum’s landmark exhibition will shine a national spotlight on the Norman story, visitors will be able to have their own less well-known 1066 tapestry experience in East Yorkshire.
Most of us know about the 70-metre Bayeux Tapestry depicting the 1066 Norman invasion and Battle of Hastings, but what about the Stamford Bridge Tapestry?
Just weeks before that famous battle in East Sussex, King Harold comprehensively defeated the Vikings at Stamford Bridge, in East Yorkshire, but the victory left the Saxons exhausted and depleted as they marched to Hastings.
1066 marked major milestones for the country, ending the last attempt by the Vikings to conquer England – finally cutting Scandinavian influence over the country – but ushering in almost 90 years of Norman rule.
If the Saxons had not fought at Stamford Bridge, significantly impacting the ability of its troops to fight, Harold may have overcome the Norman challenge, changing the course of British history.
Instead, the well-rested Norman army triumphed on the battlefield, killing around 4,000 Anglo-Saxon soldiers along with, most famously, King Harold himself, an act immortalised in the Bayeux Tapestry. Believed to have been made in England, it is named after the Normandy town where it has resided since its creation.
Commemorating that first epic Yorkshire battle, on 25 September 1066, the large-scale Stamford Bridge Tapestry was created by volunteers in wool on linen using the same embroidery stitches as Bayeux.
Completed in summer 2021, and crafted by 25 stitchers over five years, it is now on permanent display at the Platform 66 Heritage Centre, within the Old Station in the heart of the village of Stamford Bridge (https://stamfordbridgetapestry.org.uk).
Meanwhile, for an insight into the immense power and influence of the Normans, Lincolnshire offers a chance to walk the medieval walls and see a rare double motte at one of England’s best-preserved Norman castles (www.lincolncastle.com).
Built by William the Conqueror in 1068, Lincoln Castle stands opposite another Norman gem in the heart of the historic city, the towering Cathedral, once the world’s tallest building thanks to its central spire added in 1311, which collapsed in 1548.
Recognising Lincoln’s strategic location, William commissioned both buildings as part of his push to impose control over the North of England following the Norman Conquest.
And once again in summer 2026, Lincoln Castle’s Norman walls will provide the backdrop for Live at Lincoln Castle, a series of world-class concerts in a venue spanning 1,000 years of history, this year featuring Paul Weller, OMD, Madness, Billy Ocean and Tom Grennan among others (www.lincolnconcertslive.com).
For information about visiting Lincolnshire, see www.visitlincolnshire.com
For tourist information on East Yorkshire, see www.visiteastyorkshire.co.uk
Photos of the Tapestry: Stamford Bridge Tapestry Group
