Any Scots planning a trip to London this summer to see the Bayeux Tapestry could choose to arrive suitably dressed — in an official Bayeux tartan. That’s because a tartan has been designed by Professor Michael Lewis, who just happens to also be the lead Curator of the British Museum’s Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition.

Its colours are drawn directly from the famous embroidery, particularly a scene depicting the dying King Edward the Confessor apparently promising the English throne to Earl Harold in January 1066. The shades have been matched as closely as possible to the original unfaded colours used in the tapestry itself.

There is a modest irony about a Scottish tartan honouring the conquest of England, because in 1072, William the Conqueror also invaded Scotland. In this case, it was more a matter of tidying up his “harrying of the north” and stopping King Malcom III from attempting to invade northern England (again), and was settled quickly at the Treaty of Abernethy.

The tartan’s credentials are suitably official. It has been registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans, while permission to use the Bayeux Tapestry name was granted by the Mayor of Bayeux on behalf of the city.

So it comes with both Scottish and French approval.

And for anyone keen to embrace the theme fully, you could commission clothing made from the Bayeux Tapestry tartan ahead of a visit to the British Museum’s exhibition this summer.

The exhibition will open on 10th September 2026 and run until 11th July 2027.

Tickets for the 40-minute experience will go on sale on 1st July 2026 on the British Museum website, with prices ranging from £25 to £33, depending on the day and time of the visit.

Membership, available from £82, includes two free visits to the Bayeux Tapestry during its run (with discounts for further visits), as well as free entry to the museum’s other paid exhibitions.

Members’ booking opens on Tuesday 16th June.