The British Museum is installing a temporary woodland installation called "Tapestry of Trees" in its forecourt from May 16 to June 2, evoking the 11th-century English landscape depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. Designed by garden designer Andy Sturgeon, the installation features 37 silver birch trees and planters with dyed hessian wraps matching the tapestry's colors, alongside woodland species like Guelder Rose and Foxglove. It launches public programming ahead of the tapestry's historic loan from France, which will be displayed in a blockbuster exhibition on the Norman Conquest starting in September.
The installation matters because it marks a rare loan of the Bayeux Tapestry—a 230-foot-long, 1,000-year-old textile—from France to the UK, following a state visit by President Emmanuel Macron. The project also serves as a prelude to the museum's forecourt redevelopment into a Mediterranean-style botanical garden, set for 2027, despite criticism from conservationists. The loan has sparked debate over the risks of transporting such a delicate artifact, with figures like David Hockney questioning its wisdom, highlighting tensions between cultural diplomacy and preservation.