Hastings MP slams British Museum over Bayeux Tapestry ticketing
Hastings MP Helena Dollimore is furious that after securing priority ticketing for Hastings area people to view the Bayeux Tapestry the reality has been people queueing on a phone for hours on end.
The MP described the Museum’s ticketing system as “Shambolic” and said: “1066 Country residents deserved better than the shambolic local ticket sale this week.
Residents were unable to get through or on hold for hours, trying to secure tickets only to be cut off before getting through to the box office. Why is it so hard for local residents of 1066 Country to get tickets, but so easy for billionaires to get exclusive private viewings?
"As a publicly funded Museum, the British Museum has a responsibility to make sure the arts is for the many, not the few."
In an interview with BBC Radio Sussex, she went on to say: “It is simply unacceptable that what we have is a shambolic sysyem that has not functioned well, a glitchy phone line where you get kicked off the line at 5pm when the office closes and can’t even get through in the first place.”
Local resident were quick to share their frustration about how hard it has been to get tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry.
One person said they had joined the queue at 10am and got tickets at 6pm.
Another resident said: “I spent all day on Monday and most of Tuesday dialling and re-dialling and then 90 minutes on hold but eventually managed to get tickets.”
Keith Leech said: “Surely it could have been done online.”
Some people suggested it would be easier to wait until the tapestry was back in France and view it there with one person commenting: “It is much nicer to see it in Bayeux. No queue, no extortionate prices and lots of time and space to linger looking at it.”
A number of people questioned the MP as to why Hastings area people should be given priority to view it.
The Observer has approached to British Museum for a comment of the ticketing process.