Key facts
- Mary Beard, a trustee of the British Museum, visited the queues for the Bayeux tapestry exhibition.
- Beard suggested improvements such as more benches and better guidance on wait times.
- The British Museum is introducing longer opening hours, an audio guide, and additional seating and signage.
- Public tickets for the tapestry exhibition faced queues of up to nine hours, with reports of 80,000 people attempting to secure tickets.
- Adult tickets cost £33 during peak times and £27 off-peak.
- Tech billionaire Peter Thiel was given a private viewing of the tapestry.
Celebrated classicist and British Museum trustee Mary Beard has intervened in the controversy surrounding long queues for the Bayeux tapestry exhibition by visiting the site and proposing a list of 'tweaks' to improve visitor experience. Visitors had complained of waiting for hours, with some being turned away without guaranteed future access.
Beard, 71, inspected the queues herself and spoke with members of the public. She told The Guardian that while she had "some sympathies for the museum" and acknowledged "teething troubles" due to the unique nature of the exhibition focusing on a single object, she believed "tweaks were necessary: more benches for old ladies like me, more guidance on wait times."
The British Museum has since announced new measures to enhance accessibility, including extended opening hours, a new audio guide, and additional signage and seating. These changes aim to alleviate the congestion and ensure more visitors can view the tapestry, which has returned to England after 1,000 years in France.
Public demand for tickets has been exceptionally high, with reports of up to nine-hour online queues and nearly 80,000 people attempting to secure tickets by mid-afternoon on one occasion. The next batch of tickets goes on sale on October 21.
Adult tickets are priced at £33 for peak times and £27 for off-peak hours, a significant increase from the usual €12 (£10) fee at its home in Bayeux, Normandy. The exhibition's handling has faced scrutiny, particularly after it was revealed that tech billionaire Peter Thiel was granted a private viewing before the public opening. Museum chair George Osborne stated that Thiel had not offered money for the viewing, but any future offer would be considered by the board, weighing income against reputational risks. The museum's director of development, Charlotte Appleyard, hosted Thiel's VIP viewing.