New Leeds City Museum races to first 100,000 visitors » Communities » 24dash.com

The new Leeds City Museum is officially one of the most popular visitor attractions in the country after reaching 100,000 visitors in its first three months.

The £20m attraction off Millennium Square has proved a phenomenal success since it was officially opened on September 13th, and in reaching the landmark figure of 100,000 visitors in such a short space of time it compares very favourably with similar attractions all over the UK.

The figure was officially reached this week when Kathryn Wood and her son Thomas of Lawnswood (pictured) came through the doors to explore for themselves the four floors of exhibitions, galleries, interactives and audio-visual displays and see the star attractions like the mummy Nesyamun, the famous Leeds Tiger, the polar bear and the Giant Irish Elk skeleton for free.

The popularity of Leeds City Council’s newest addition to the ‘cultural quarter’ has greatly exceeded expectations – bosses had set a target for the first 12 months of 120,000 visitors which is set to be reached within just four months!

The amazing speed with which the museum has reached the 100,000 mark means it stands alongside the Royal Armouries in Leeds and the Weston Park museum in Sheffield among the most popular regional museums in the country. It also dwarfs the annual visitor total of 30,000 which the former Leeds City Museum in the Central Library boasted before it closed in 1999.

Leeds City Council Executive Member for Leisure Councillor John Procter said: “We are all delighted and very proud of just what a stunning success the new Leeds City Museum has proved. To reach the 100,000 visitor figure so quickly is way beyond any of our expectations, but we were always confident it was going to be a wonderful visitor attraction and clearly the people of Leeds and visitors from beyond agree.

“A lot of hard work has gone into the museum enjoying such a superb start, and it makes it all so worthwhile that so many people have come along for a look around and recommended it to relatives and friends as a great day out. For anyone who has not seen it yet, please come along and see what all the fuss is about – you won’t be disappointed!”

The former Leeds Civic Institute building was transformed into the state-of-the-art new Leeds City Museum in a £26m project which includes the accompanying £6m Discovery Centre at Clarence Dock which houses the city’s museum archive. The Heritage Lottery Fund provided 75% of the overall cost, with Leeds City Council and Yorkshire Forward being the other main funders.

Yorkshire and The Humber Regional Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund Fiona Spiers said: “To have welcomed 100,000 visitors in such a short time is a remarkable achievement. The HLF is delighted to have been able to return a museum of such high quality to the people of Leeds.”

The grand opening took place on Saturday 13th September following a visit the previous day by HRH The Countess of Wessex, who officially opened the Toddler Town children’s play area.

The Countess was also given a full tour of all the galleries which are themed on: Life on Earth; The Leeds Story; Ancient Worlds; Leeds Collectors; Leeds Arena, The World View: Out of Africa and Special Exhibitions. The next special exhibition which begins on Saturday 10th January 2009 is ‘A Lasting Moment’ which is the world premiere of a series of archive photos taken in Leeds by iconic French photographer Marc Riboud in 1954 which have recently been rediscovered.

Meanwhile, a group of prominent French journalists will be visiting the Leeds City Museum on Friday 19th December as part of an art and culture trip organised by Visit Leeds and Visit Britain.

Entry to the Leeds City Museum itself is free, but there is a small charge for special exhibitions. For details about exhibitions, opening times and other information about the museum go to www.leeds.gov.uk/citymuseum

It is open six days a week, Tuesday to Sunday, and closed on Mondays.