Bringing home a national treasure

A crowdfunding campaign has raised over half a million pounds to bring a tapestry commissioned by Henry VIII and dubbed “the birth certificate of the Church of England”, back to the UK.

The 20-foot tapestry, described as “the greatest renaissance tapestry to appear on the market in generations” was thought lost for almost 200 years before conservators discovered it in a Spanish collection. Now it is on sale for the kingly sum of £3.5m. Most Rev Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, has backed calls for the “extraordinary and rare piece of art” to be purchased for display at the newly opened Faith Museum in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.