Decoding the Bayeux Tapestry: Talk with Dr David Musgrove

Dr David Musgrove is coming to STEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway on Tuesday 10 November for a talk on the Bayeux Tapestry. He's the content director of HistoryExtra magazine and podcast, and he co-authored The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry: Unravelling the Norman Conquest with Michael Lewis, so he knows the thing inside out.

The talk is part of Bayeux Around Britain, a British Museum partnership supported by WorldQuant that's taking the historic loan of the tapestry from the French government to audiences across the UK. At STEAM, the display pairs a full-scale printed reproduction of the work — which is really an embroidery — with an information video and further material, and it's open for viewing from 6pm to 7pm on a separate ticket before the talk starts. It's 70 metres of historical drama and the story of England's most famous year, and the reproduction lets you get up close with it in a way you normally can't.

Musgrove's talk runs for 45 minutes, followed by a 15-minute Q&A, so you'll have a chance to ask your own questions after he's finished. Tickets are £9.00 for adults, and you can order copies of his books when you book. The whole thing kicks off at 7pm on Tuesday 10 November at STEAM in Swindon.