In pictures: Bayeux Tapestry reproduced by man in Kent
- Published
A Viking and Norman re-enactment enthusiast from Kent has spent 18 years replicating the battle scenes of the Bayeux Tapestry, considered to be one of the most important pictorial images of the 11th Century.
Andy Wilkinson, a London Underground engineer from Lordswood, decided to recreate the historic embroidery in 1995 when looking for something to decorate his Norman tent with.
Commissioned by William the Conqueror's half-brother Bishop Odo after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the Bayeux Tapestry was unveiled in 1077 at the dedication of the Bayeux Cathedral in Normandy, France.
The real Bayeux Tapestry, which is displayed at the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux in Normandy, is about 230ft (70m) long and 2ft (0.6m) high. It took about seven years to complete.
Mr Wilkinson said his version was approximately 40ft (12m) long and 0.9ft (28cm) high, and incorporated between 28 and 30 different colours. It is due to go on display in Dives-sur-Mer in Normandy later this year.