It’s Really Rather Big… and It’s Here In Bloomsbury

The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum

If you’re planning a visit to the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum, you’re in for a treat.

At nearly 70 metres long, the Bayeux Tapestry is certainly hard to miss. Created almost a thousand years ago, it tells the story of the Norman Conquest of England through thousands of stitches worked into linen, full of figures, animals, ships and scenes that have an extraordinary sense of life.

And then there’s the story.

Kings, battles, ships, feasts, funerals, fires, farming, looting and, of course, that rather unfortunate arrow incident involving Harold. It is essentially a medieval graphic novel - although with considerably more horses.

A Medieval Story Full of Everyday Life

The famous characters drive the story, but what really fascinated me were the glimpses of ordinary medieval life - people cutting down trees to build William’s fleet, workers constructing fortifications, farmers handing over pigs and cattle, food being prepared.

And then the details that make the Bayeux Tapestry feel surprisingly human: a woman watching her house burn while holding her young son, animals being transported, people eating and drinking - so much activity taking place in the margins.

At Hastings, the heroic battle scenes are accompanied by the less glamorous reality of medieval warfare - dead horses, looting and weapons being stripped from the fallen. It is dramatic and brutal.

Make a Day of Your Visit to the British Museum

Having worked on Charlotte Street for more than 35 years, I’m fortunate that the British Museum in Bloomsbury is practically on our doorstep. Which brings me, rather conveniently, to lunch.

Pied à Terre is just a short walk from the British Museum, making it an ideal place to continue your day after visiting the Bayeux Tapestry.

We serve lunch Wednesday to Saturday, while dinner reservations from Tuesday to Saturday begin at 5.30pm. So, whether you're looking for lunch near the British Museum, a special dinner in Fitzrovia or somewhere to eat before continuing your evening in Central London, Charlotte Street is a rather good place to find yourself.

And there is a lovely connection between the Bayeux Tapestry and the restaurant: the tapestry contains quite a lot of food - feasts, roast fowl, bread, livestock - and what looks remarkably like some medieval version of a kebab. So after nearly a thousand years of kings, invasions and general mayhem, I think you’ve earned lunch.

Lunch at Pied à Terre

At Pied à Terre, our menus change with the seasons and celebrate carefully sourced ingredients, thoughtful cooking and modern French cuisine. Alongside our Omnivore Tasting Menu, we also offer our Plant-Based Tasting Menu, À la carte and our Pied à Terre Complet Menu. And, as we celebrate 35 years on Charlotte Street, we also have our £49.50 Anniversary Menu.

If you're looking for a Michelin-starred restaurant near the British Museum, Pied à Terre offers the chance to turn a visit to Bloomsbury into a rather special London day out - museum, lunch or early supper and a stroll through Fitzrovia all within a few minutes of one another.

From the Bayeux Tapestry to Charlotte Street

So, if you're visiting the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum, take your time.

Look closely at the stitching. Follow the story. Notice the ships, the animals, the food and the people. And don't forget to look at the margins - they contain some of the most intriguing details.

Then take the short walk to Charlotte Street and let us do the cooking.

The Normans conquered England.

We’re simply hoping to conquer your appetite.

Tip Top

David

David Moore, Founder and Owner of Pied à Terre.