Many are the school visits I’ve run to Normandy and a favourite day trip has always been to the Bayeux Tapestry or as the French call it ‘La Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde’. I’m always astounded by the length, skill and detail of the tapestry and how you go round a corner and there’s yet more and more. The children are usually equally interested, especially after they’ve seen the excellent presentation beforehand. One year, a boy in my class wanted a particularly close look at the tapestry as apparently one of his ancestors was in it! He must have had precise instructions from his mum as to where to find the said ancestor but still we managed to miss him (not surprising really as he was one of the many dead and injured scattered around the battlefield.
Anyway, I was allowed to accompany my pupil along the tapestry one more time and this time we found him! It really brought history to life for us and his mum was really pleased that we’d found the ancestor. There’s a fantastic video of the Bayeux Tapestry. It’s in English but would be really good for doing some cross-curricular work. Do take a look!