CHILDREN will have the chance to finish the final ‘missing’ panel of a new version of the last part of the Bayeux Tapestry at a medieval fair in Wallingford on Saturday.

Experts at the town museum believe that the original tapestry, which illustrates William the Conqueror’s Norman victory over Harold and the Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, must have ended with a scene at Wallingford as the invader marched to London to be crowned.

Immediately after the battle, William circled the capital, and headed for Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, where he was due to receive the surrender of the English from Edgar, Harold’s heir, crossing the Thames at Wallingford en route.

Now local stitchers are re-creating what they believe might be the missing ending, and people going to the fundraising fair on the Kinecroft will be asked to help finish it off.

Wallingford Museum curator Judy Dewey said: “The end of the Bayeux Tapestry is ripped, so it has no proper ending.

“Where it stops, we don’t have a final bit of William being crowned king. One of our medievalists is convinced that had the final panel still existed, it would have shown him taking his army across the Thames at Wallingford and marching to Berkhamsted.

“It is something great for children to be involved in, and is all part of this hands-on day we are running.”

The event, from 10am to 5pm, will raise money for Wallingford Museum’s new extension, and will include historical attractions, a living history display, and medieval crafts.

Museum director Peggy Holland said: “It will be a great day for families to come along and have a go at the various crafts on show, from painting a bit of the Bayeux Tapestry to pottery and jewellery-making.”

Of the planned extension she said: “We want to improve our disabled access and to be able to entertain school parties. We have not got room at the moment.”

At the medieval day, visitors will be able to watch craftsmen or have a go at spinning, scrivening, lacemaking and jewellery making, as well as throwing wet sponges at local dignataries in the stocks.

A prize trail will also encourage members of the public to link Wallingford’s modern shops with those of the past, and discover more about the town’s medieval history.

Hundreds of people have already bought £4 wooden pegs to be used in the construction of the annexe, and prizes will be given to the best decorated pegs at 3pm on Saturday.

The museum has already raised £50,000 towards the £350,000 needed to build the extension, but construction, originally planned to start this month, has been deferred to 2011, when various grants have been secured.

Entry to the medieval fair is free. People can buy 50p ‘Wallingford Groats’ to take part in activities.

wallingford@oxfordmail.co.uk