Want to see some old wonders but don\u2019t fancy forking out \u00a333 for 40 minutes with a tapestry? Our critic celebrates the British treasures you can see all year round \u2013 from monstrous crypt carvings to the vaulting glory of our cathedrals<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a carved stone character grimacing furiously in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral and you can see why \u2013 a man is sitting on his head, legs apart, holding a fish and bowl in outstretched arms. Other figures perched atop slender stone columns include a creature with a serpent\u2019s tail wrestling a dog-like monstrosity, a gryphon eating a siren, and a (now-detached) carving of a horned devil. All this nefariousness in the depths of England\u2019s holiest shrine.<\/p>\n
But then medieval British art is full of wonder, mystery and humour. It is also so abundant that it gets taken for granted. But now, after almost 1,000 years, it is about to have a moment. This week, the rush will begin to get \u00a333 tickets to spend 40 minutes in the company of a medieval British artwork. The Bayeux Tapestry, a 70-metre embroidery depicting the Norman conquest of England in 1066, was almost certainly embroidered by Kent women to a commission by Bishop Odo of Bayeux in the 1070s.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/7c89b15a2fc7393a8acf0f4b359a8b3b837d5a76\/504_0_5009_4008\/master\/5009.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e1d74a70404442b90cd420f625f3b82f\" "\\"Never")
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