On 14th September 2026, Form VI pupils from St Hilda’s School swapped their classroom textbooks for a first hand encounter with medieval history during a trip to The British Museum in London accompanied by Madame Lawrenson, Mrs Atkins, Miss Smith, and Mr Sayers. The highlight of the trip was an immersive viewing experience of the world-renowned Bayeux Tapestry, providing our Form VI pupils with a unique window into the events surrounding the Norman Conquest of 1066. St Hilda’s School was fortunate to be one of the first Schools to view the Tapestry in London; they would usually see it in Bayeux as part of their trip to Normandy in the Summer Term.
As part of a landmark loan agreement with France, this marks the first time in nearly 1,000 years that the 70-metre-long masterpiece has been displayed on British soil, making it a truly historic occasion for the School to witness. Upon entering the exhibition gallery, the girls were captivated by the sheer scale of the intricate and incredibly well-preserved embroidery. Form VI traced the vibrant linen piece by piece, with the help of video installations explaining key events depicted in the Tapestry. We all marvelled at how the 900-year-old artifact vividly depicts the dramatic rivalry between King Harold and William the Conqueror, culminating in the fateful Battle of Hastings.
The girls, guided by our resident history buff Mr Sayers, also learned about The Rosetta Stone in the Egyptian Sculpture gallery, and were especially interested in seeing the ornate funerary masks and mummies and in the Egyptian death and afterlife section!
The girls enjoyed a packed lunch on the steps of the British Museum in the sunshine before a quick canter round the Enlightenment Collection and then heading back to School.
