The Women Behind Reading’s Bayeux Tapestry

26th February 2026

Did you know that Britain’s Bayeux Tapestry was ambitiously created by 35 women nearly 140 years ago? 

This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating those women and the extraordinary legacy they left behind in Reading Museum. Britain’s Bayeux Tapestry isn’t just a copy of the original piece of art; it’s a powerful reminder of Victorian skill, collaboration and female craftsmanship at a time when women’s achievements were so often overlooked. 

Led by Elizabeth Wardle, these skilled embroiderers set out in 1885 to create a full-size replica of the world-famous Bayeux Tapestry. After studying the original in Bayeux, Elizabeth returned home determined that England should have a copy of its own, and formed a group of women, from Leek, Derbyshire, Birmingham, Macclesfield and London. 

Working from hand-coloured reference photographs supplied by what is now the Victoria and Albert Museum, the women painstakingly recreated more than 70 metres of medieval storytelling in wool on linen. Ships, soldiers, animals and kings were all stitched by hand in just over a year, crafting an extraordinary achievement in both scale and precision. The names of each of the women are still visible along the bottom of the tapestry! 

There are charming Victorian touches woven in too, including one strategically added pair of pants in the border scenes! But perhaps the most striking difference is the colour. While the original French tapestry has faded over nine centuries, Reading’s version remains beautifully vivid, offering a glimpse of how bold and dramatic the medieval embroidery may once have looked. 

With the original Bayeux Tapestry due to visit England later this year, there’s never been a better time to appreciate the version we already have here in Reading. This International Women’s Day, why not celebrate the skill and determination of those 35 women by visiting the Bayeux Gallery and seeing their masterpiece for yourself? 

Find out even more about the history of Britain’s Bayeux Tapestry at Reading Museum here.

Photos: Copyright Reading Museum (Reading Borough Council). All rights reserved.