Unpredictable weather, cuts and strikes have created a mixed picture for visitor figures during the first few months of 2013.
Many museums continue to increase their popularity, recording significant rises in visitors over the spring.
The Science Museum Group, which warned last month that one of its three northern sites could close if further cuts went ahead, reported a year-on-year rise in visitor numbers of 8% at the National Media Museum in Bradford during the half-term week at the end of May.
York’s National Railway Museum enjoyed a 19% rise in visitor numbers in the first five months of the year, compared with 2012. The museum, which is also part of the Science Museum Group, attributed the increase to the unseasonably cold spring.
Half-term attendances at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales’ seven sites rose 13% on last year. The organisation hit a record high of 1.75 million visitors in 2012-13.
Independent museums also fared well. Visitor numbers at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth from January to May were 57% higher than last year following tie-ins with local businesses.
At the Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket, footfall was “higher than ever”.
But industrial action, cuts to public programming and snow had a significant impact on attendances at National Museums Liverpool. Visitor numbers in April and May fell 24% on 2012, with a drop of 57% at the Walker Art Gallery and 14% at the Museum of Liverpool during the May half-term.
A spokeswoman said the fluctuation appeared more pronounced because of the large crowds drawn to special events such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee last year.
Museums Sheffield, which was forced to reduce public programming last year, experienced a 24% rise in visitor numbers at the Millennium Gallery over the half-term break, following the launch of a new exhibition. But it was a different case at Weston Park, where attendances dropped by 21%.
Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry and Brighton’s Royal Pavilion and Museums suffered an 8% fall in visitor numbers during half-term, compared with 2012.
In Scotland, the completion of several major capital projects led to a record-breaking year in 2012, and this year’s figures have suffered in comparison.
Year-on-year numbers fell by 8% at Kelvingrove and 19% at the new Riverside Museum over the Easter break. In Edinburgh, National Museums Scotland suffered a 14% decline in attendances over the same period.
Many museums continue to increase their popularity, recording significant rises in visitors over the spring.
The Science Museum Group, which warned last month that one of its three northern sites could close if further cuts went ahead, reported a year-on-year rise in visitor numbers of 8% at the National Media Museum in Bradford during the half-term week at the end of May.
York’s National Railway Museum enjoyed a 19% rise in visitor numbers in the first five months of the year, compared with 2012. The museum, which is also part of the Science Museum Group, attributed the increase to the unseasonably cold spring.
Half-term attendances at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales’ seven sites rose 13% on last year. The organisation hit a record high of 1.75 million visitors in 2012-13.
Independent museums also fared well. Visitor numbers at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth from January to May were 57% higher than last year following tie-ins with local businesses.
At the Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket, footfall was “higher than ever”.
But industrial action, cuts to public programming and snow had a significant impact on attendances at National Museums Liverpool. Visitor numbers in April and May fell 24% on 2012, with a drop of 57% at the Walker Art Gallery and 14% at the Museum of Liverpool during the May half-term.
A spokeswoman said the fluctuation appeared more pronounced because of the large crowds drawn to special events such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee last year.
Museums Sheffield, which was forced to reduce public programming last year, experienced a 24% rise in visitor numbers at the Millennium Gallery over the half-term break, following the launch of a new exhibition. But it was a different case at Weston Park, where attendances dropped by 21%.
Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry and Brighton’s Royal Pavilion and Museums suffered an 8% fall in visitor numbers during half-term, compared with 2012.
In Scotland, the completion of several major capital projects led to a record-breaking year in 2012, and this year’s figures have suffered in comparison.
Year-on-year numbers fell by 8% at Kelvingrove and 19% at the new Riverside Museum over the Easter break. In Edinburgh, National Museums Scotland suffered a 14% decline in attendances over the same period.
