A 70-year-old Scot named Ian Williams has spent around 40 years hand-stitching a replica of the Bayeux Tapestry, working on it during his two-hour daily train commute since starting the project in the 1980s. The piece is now going on public display in Macduff, Aberdeenshire, timed to coincide with the display of the original tapestry at the British Museum in London, which has drawn huge crowds since opening to the public last week.

Williams began the cross-stitch project to pass the time during his commute from Suffolk to his job in London, and was inspired after seeing the original in Bayeux, France, during his career in the maritime industry. His replica measures 86ft, more than a third of the 230ft original, and is mounted on a roller at Macduff's Market Street Hall so visitors can scroll through it. The genuine tapestry, depicting events surrounding the 1066 Battle of Hastings, is on loan from France and will remain on show in London until 2027.