'Nothing left to chance' for Bayeux Tapestry's journey to London

'Nothing left to chance' for Bayeux Tapestry's journey to LondonJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleHugh SchofieldParisFrench Ministry of CultureThe artwork was meticulously inspected before its removalThe 950-year-old Bayeux Tapestry will be as safe "as a baby" when it makes its unprecedented journey to London next month, according to French officials.The tapestry will be leaving Bayeux for only the third time in its history before being put on display for nine months at the British Museum.Serious reservations about the journey have been raised by many in France's art world, who say the tapestry is too fragile and too important to move.But after two dry-runs with facsimiles, the culture ministry in Paris is confident the technical difficulties have been overcome."I am extremely serene," said Delphine Christophe, the ministry's head of heritage and architecture. "Nothing has been left to chance."To preserve it from possible damage, the 70m (230ft) tapestry will be placed in a kind of double crate – a case inside a shell.Last September, 90 people were required to lift the artefact from its display in Bayeux and place it on a folding stand. This is currently at an undisclosed location somewhere in or near Bayeux.Bayeux Tapestry to return to UK on loan after 900 yearsSix key scenes from the Bayeux TapestryFor the journey to London, the stand – which concertinas down into a relatively small space – will be put into an aluminium crate that regulates temperature and humidity.That crate will then be housed in an outer cage, with 12 metal springs acting as shock-absorbers above and below.The ensemble will be placed on a lorry which then travels by road and the railway shuttle under the Channel for the 560km (348 mile) journey."The idea is that the vertical shocks which will occur are transformed into horizontal shocks, causing the inner crate to rock to and fro like a baby in a cradle," said Cecilia Gau...