THE leader of Hampshire County Council has offered to host the Bayeux Tapestry at the Great Hall of Winchester Castle and, if selected, to allow King Arthur’s Round Table to cross the English Channel in a return gesture of goodwill.

Roy Perry proposed the historic hall as a display venue ahead of the announcement about the loan by French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Sandhurst last Thursday for talks with Theresa May.

If the loan goes ahead it will be the first time in 950 years that the tapestry will have left French soil.

The 70m-long tapestry – which depicts the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 – would not be transferred before 2020 and, at the time of the announcement, no venues had been chosen.

Seen by some as a gesture of goodwill and generosity, sceptics question whether Mr Macron is trying to make a hard political point in the wake of Brexit.

Whatever the thoughts behind the offer, Mr Perry believes if the Bayeux Tapestry is to make the journey to England then The Great Hall of Winchester Castle would be an appropriate venue in which to to display it.

“Winchester Great Hall is the second largest mediaeval hall in England after Westminster Hall, and Winchester was the Anglo-Saxon capital of England at the time of the Norman Conquest.

“Ferries already cross the Channel daily between Normandy and Hampshire, so it would be easy for French tourists to visit. While in Hampshire, they could also see the Norman-built Winchester Cathedral, which includes a statue of Joan of Arc, and take in the New Forest where the Conqueror’s son, William Rufus, met his end – killed by an arrow – possibly repaying the arrow that struck King Harold at the Battle of Hastings.”

“Visitors could also see Southwick House, north of Portsmouth, where Allied Forces, under the Supreme Allied Commander General Eisenhower, planned the D-Day landings in Normandy,” added Mr Perry.

As a gesture in return, and subject to specialist advice, Mr Perry has suggested the loan to France of King Arthur’s Round Table, which is on display in Winchester’s Great Hall.

He explained: “Actually what we have on display is a mediaeval round table constructed as a replica of King Arthur’s – probably in the reign of Edward I. It was painted during the reign of Henry VIII, putting Henry in the position of King Arthur, and naming the knights of the Arthurian legend.

“Of course, further discussions and tests will need to be carried out to make sure the 11th Century artwork would be safe to move from its current home in Bayeux, Normandy, just as we would need to be sure it is safe to transfer the Round Table from Winchester to France.”

Mr Perry had written to the Prime Minister’s office to set out the county council’s offer in advance of the French president’s visit and is awaiting a response.

Winchester Castle was built in 1067 by William the Conqueror, the year after his victory at the Battle of Hastings. Construction on the present Great Hall was started in 1222 during the reign of Henry III (Henry of Winchester) and remains one of the finest surviving mediaeval aisled halls in the country.

The Great Hall is open daily and, Mr Perry believes, would make a “magnificent and appropriate historic setting” for the Bayeux Tapestry during its stay in England.

Winchester Castle was home to a number of French princesses married to English kings, including Eleanor of Aquitaine and Eleanor of Castille.