From Sutton Hoo to Bayeux: Rare Tapestry Prints Go on Show in Woodbridge

Early nineteenth-century hand-coloured engravings of the Bayeux Tapestry to go on show in Woodbridge from 02-15 September 2026.

The Art Haven in Woodbridge is delighted to announce a rare exhibition of early hand-coloured prints of the Bayeux Tapestry, engraved by James Basire after drawings by Charles Alfred Stothard.

Created in the early nineteenth century, these beautiful engravings capture one of the most famous visual stories in European history: the events leading to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. 

Long before photography, Stothard was sent to Bayeux to record the Tapestry with care and precision. His drawings were then translated into engraved prints by Basire and delicately hand-coloured, creating a remarkable record of the Tapestry as it was seen more than 200 years ago.

The exhibition offers visitors a chance to look closely at the drama, detail and storytelling of the Bayeux Tapestry: ships and soldiers, horses and weapons, feasting and omens, kingship, conflict and conquest. The prints are not only important historical documents, but works of art in their own right, revealing the skill of the draughtsman, engraver and colourist.

Shown in Woodbridge, the exhibition also opens up rich local connections. Just across the River Deben, Sutton Hoo tells the story of Anglo-Saxon England before 1066. The Longshed continues the story of shipbuilding, timber, craft and early medieval imagination, while Woodbridge Tide Mill speaks of the land, food, labour and changing systems of power that followed the Conquest.

Together, these places create a compelling local story: Sutton Hoo as the world before the Bayeux Tapestry, the Norman Conquest as a turning point, and Woodbridge as a living landscape where ships, rivers, craft, food and power have shaped history for centuries.