Furious British Museum supporters vow to rip up their memberships after being forced to wait online for hours in failed bids for Bayeux Tapestry tickets

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:40, 17 June 2026 | Updated: 10:48, 17 June 2026 Furious British Museum supporters have vowed to cancel their memberships after attempts to purchase tickets to view the Bayeux Tapestry sent its site into meltdown. The museum's members took to social media yesterday to complain they had waited for hours to book the precious tickets - which members have early access to - only for their bids to end in failure. Issues reported included being kicked out of the queue, the site crashing and allocated queue numbers not working properly. Many threatened to cancel their membership, which starts at £82, while others compared the chaos to the scramble to book festival or concert tickets. The British Museum has now apologised, with an email to members expressing regret at the 'delays' to the service. The email read: 'We apologise for any delays you may have experienced today with our Bayeux Tapestry booking portal. 'Our technical teams have been urgently working to resolve the issue, particularly around waiting rooms.  'We apologise once again for the inconvenience and invite you to join the queue if you haven't done so already, from the link in the email we sent earlier today.' The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings, is being sent to London in a historic loan  The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings, is being sent to London in a historic loan that marks the first time it has been displayed in a museum in the UK in its near-1,000 year history. The exhibition, which opens in September and runs until July 2027, is being billed as a 'blockbuster' cultural event and it is expected to attract more than one million visitors. But the launch of ticket sales was beset by problems, with thousands queuing only for many to be frustrated at the point of purchase. Many complained of being stuck in waiting rooms for the main ticket queue for hours, only to finally be added to a new line with thousands more ahead of them. Historian Dr Elizabeth Norton was one of those to raise issues with the museum, writing on social media: 'I just waited in a virtual queue for nearly four hours to book members’ tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry and this is what I got when I finally got to the front of the queue.  'There are now more than 16,000 people ahead of me when I join the queue. How is this acceptable?' Her post was accompanied by a screenshot of her booking screen, which showed she had reached the front of the queue only to be told that her queue number, which is supposed to be unique to each person, had already been used. She was prompted to click a link to return to the end of the line again.  Other users reported getting to the front of the queue only to have the site crash, or be confronted with a 'page not found' error message. Some members vowed they would cancel or not renew their memberships as a result. Others quipped that the process was akin to trying to secure tickets for Glastonbury, or popular concerts. Several poked fun at the long waits, with one user complaining it felt 'like getting an NHS referral'. Others said it would be 'quicker to make your own tapestry' or 'catch the ferry to Bayeux' to see the tapestry than wait in the queue. Those lucky enough to eventually secure tickets will be able to book a 40-minute viewing slot to look at the 230ft-long masterpiece, which is one of the most famous artworks in history. The tapestry will be laid flat, unlike its traditional display which has previously seen it hung along a wall, as it is feared that years of hanging could be damaging the fabric. Tickets for the exhibition range from £16.50 to £33, while under 16s go free. French president Emmanuel Macron announced in July 2025 that the artefact, which depicts the Norman invasion of 1066 by the threading of wool on linen cloth, would be loaned to the UK until July 2027 as part of a cultural exchange. In exchange, treasures including artefacts from the Anglo-Saxon burial mounds at Sutton Hoo and the 12th-century Lewis chess pieces, will be sent to museums in Normandy, France. The tapestry will be delicately removed from its crate at the British Museum and put in a display case, where it will sit in a windowless room to prevent sun damage. The case has been specifically designed, believed to cost around £600,000, to keep the artefact still and at a micro-climate. It will also receive 24-hour monitoring by staff as it lies flat, instead of the U-shape seen in the Bayeux Museum, in the London museum's Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery. The British Museum has been contacted for comment.  The comments below have not been moderated. 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