In advance of the conference headed by David Starkey on 27 September, a number of experts have taken a close look at the tapestry. Among them was Mika Takami from the Hampton Court tapestry conservation team and she will be reporting on her findings at the conference. The tapestry has been well preserved under the current high-quality casing which is now nearly 20 years old.

The ideal scenario would be to inspect the reverse of the tapestry to ascertain repairs over the years and analyse the fibres, but the case is sealed and cannot be opened without breaking it. However, enough information was obtained for further analysis to enable the experts to move our understanding forward about this outstanding piece of medieval art.

There are a very small number of tickets still available for the conference and can be booked via Eventbrite at bit.ly/2QY3bs1