Why masterpiece really belongs to us

Despite its name, the Bayeux Tapestry is actually an embroidery. Rolling out for 230ft (70 metres), its nine sections of linen are embroidered with 100lb (45kg) of spun wool.

It was once even longer, but a section of the tapestry at the end – describing events after the Battle of Hastings – has been cut off.

The five main colours used are terracotta, blue-green, buff, grey-blue and light-green. Dark blue, yellow and green were also used. The fact that the colours are still so vibrant is a testament to the skill of those who dyed the wool, a deeply unpleasant and unhygienic process which often employed urine.

The tapestry is likely to have been embroidered by several teams of Anglo-Saxon women, working in groups of eight to ten, in the 1070s. They would have referred to the original design, that would either have been inked on pieces of parchment, or have been faintly applied in charcoal to the linen.

The design would have been approved by the patron, although a close study of the different styles and techniques used reveals that the embroiderers – who used stem and laidand-couched stitching – were allowed to work in some of their own personalities.