032/06
20 March 2006
Four Years After Scrapping Entry Charges – Free Admission Is Still A Growing Success
More than five million extra visits have taken place at once-charging national museums since entry fees were scrapped by the Government in December 2001, Culture Minister David Lammy announced today.
New figures show a 66 per cent increase in visits to these institutions since December 2001. This has been despite an 11 per cent drop in visit numbers to formerly charging London Museums following the July bombings.
Culture Minister David Lammy said:
"Like many of our tourist attractions, our museums went through a tough period after the tragic events of 7 July. But it's a testament to their enduring appeal and the quality of experience that they offer that visitor numbers are starting to pick up again.
"What is clear from these figures overall, however, is that our decision to invest in free admission has been a huge success. It is a cornerstone of this Government's cultural policy. And we can be proud of its continuing success and what it means for our country's museums and galleries, and our tourism industry. "
Outside London, visits to national museums increased by 72 per cent since December 2001. Visits to:
- National Museums Liverpool are up by 129 per cent,
- the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester by 48 per cent, and
- the National Railway Museum in York by 43 per cent.
At the same time visits to former charging London museums were up by 65 per cent with visits to the V&A up 94 per cent, the Natural History Museum by 83 per cent and the Science Museum by 54 per cent.
Visits to the national museums which have always been free such as the British Museum, National Gallery and Tate, rose by 2 per cent over the same period.
Notes to Editors
1. There has been an 11% drop in visits to all DCMS sponsored London Museums following the July bombings. There has been a 12% drop in visits to always free London museums.
2. The free entry scheme came into effect on 1 December 2001. The museums and galleries covered are:
London
Science Museum
Natural History Museum
Victoria & Albert Museum - including the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden (went free from 22 November 2001)
Imperial War Museum
National Maritime Museum in Greenwich - including the Royal Observatory and Queen's House, Greenwich
Museum of London
Regions
National Railway Museum in York
Royal Armouries in Leeds and Fort Nelson
Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester
The Zoological Museum in Tring, Hertfordshire
The National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside – including The Liverpool Museum, The Walker Art Gallery, The Merseyside Maritime Museum, the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Sudley House, The Conversation Centre and HM Customs and Excise National Museum.
National Coal Mining Museum for England in Wakefield (went free from 8 April 2002)
Imperial War Museum North in Manchester (opened free in July 2002)
3. The Government sponsored national museums that were already free are:
British Museum
Geffrye Museum
Horniman Museum and Gardens
National Gallery
National Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green
National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford
National Portrait Gallery
Sir John Soane's Museum
Tate Britain, Tate Modern and Tate Liverpool
Wallace Collection
4. Tables showing how visit numbers have grown at each of the national museums and galleries since the Government provided investment to allow those that charged admission to scrap entry fees, is available below:
Table 1: Number of visits to the former charging museums and galleries (PDF 43kb)
Table 2: Number of visits to the always free museums and galleries (PDF 50kb)
Table 3: Total visits to the former charging museums and the always free museums (PDF 34kb)
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