Bayeux Tapestry cross-stitch replica took four decades to complete

A replica Bayeux Tapestry cross-stitched by an Aberdeenshire pensioner over nearly four decades is being put on display at the same time as the real thing in London.

The work of Ian Williams, 70, is about a third of the size of the 230ft (70m)-long original and will be on show at the Market Street Hall in Macduff.

The actual Bayeux Tapestry has been loaned to the British Museum by France until July 2027 and is going on public display in London for the first time.

The tapestry is almost 1,000 years old and tells the story of the events leading to the Norman invasion of England in 1066 as well as the Battle of Hastings.

Ian began working on the replica initially as a way of passing the time during his two-hour train commute from Suffolk to his work in London.

After making enough cushion-cover tapestries for his home, he decided he needed a "bigger project".

"I didn't know when I started that the Bayeux Tapestry was actually an embroidery," he said.

"It seemed like the biggest tapestry I'd ever heard of and I thought I would be commuting for years and years."

When his work in the maritime industry took him to France, he had a chance to see the original tapestry in Bayeux.

"It was an amazing experience", he said.

He also got his hands on a four-inch fold-out book with the original tapestry, which he photocopied and used to assist his work on his replica.

He enlarged the images, placed them underneath the canvas and cross-stitched by tracing the outlines on top.

For Ian the project was not just about embroidery, but also learning history.

"It is such a relaxing hobby, it is the same movement over and over but you have to think about what colours you are using," he said.

"And you are learning history at the same time.

"Meaning you are literally studying the Bayeux Tapestry stitch by stitch."

Ian said his favourite part of his work was discovering the hidden details in the original and trying to understand what its creators experienced.

"There's so many details involved, and you can see mistakes in the original Bayeux Tapestry," he said.

"There are some lines that don't quite follow on where the linen panels join, or where they've had to squeeze certain parts of horses in, or they've missed colouring."

"There is just so much interesting in there."