Ian Williams, a 70-year-old Scot, has spent more than four decades meticulously recreating the Bayeux Tapestry during his daily train commute. His 86-foot-long cross-stitched replica is now on public display in Aberdeenshire, coinciding with the original tapestry's exhibition in London.
Williams began the ambitious project in the 1980s, seeking a way to occupy his time on a two-hour commute from Suffolk to his workplace in London. He described the process as a relaxing hobby, noting the repetitive nature of the stitching balanced by the need to choose colors carefully. His completed replica is more than a third of the length of the original 230-foot medieval artwork.
His recreation is currently on display at Macduff's Market Street Hall, where it is presented on a roller system allowing visitors to scroll through its length. The idea to recreate the Bayeux Tapestry came to Williams after he learned of its immense size and the likelihood of his commute continuing for many years.
The original Bayeux Tapestry, which chronicles the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, recently opened to the public at the British Museum in London. The famed artifact is on loan from France and will be exhibited until 2027. Its arrival in Britain has generated significant public interest and demand for viewing.
Williams previously encountered the original tapestry during a work trip to France in the maritime industry, which took him to Bayeux. He remarked that the original was the largest tapestry he had ever heard of, inspiring his decades-long undertaking.