Today, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions has announced the annual visitor figures for the UK's most popular visitor attractions, including the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust's museums. Find out more here.
Nick Ralls, CEO of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said:
“At the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust in 2023, we are delighted to have seen rises in visitor figures at our museums that exceeded the 19% increase experienced by ALVA members collectively. Our museum staff and volunteers enjoyed welcoming back visitors in such large numbers and ensuring they had brilliant experiences across our sites. Highlights of our busy events programme included the popular Victorian Seaside Experience during the summer holidays at Blists Hill Victorian Town and our temporary exhibition The Daily Grind in Coalbrookdale.
"It is particularly encouraging to see that visitor numbers at Blists Hill Victorian Town, our largest museum, have now almost returned to 2019 levels. However, there is no denying that we are still feeling the aftereffects of the pandemic and that the cost of living continues to have a major impact on our visitors’ disposable income. As a charity, we rely largely on visitor income to fund our heritage conservation and education work, and we are therefore working hard to ensure visitor numbers continue to rise in 2024.
"Visitors who join us in the beautiful Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site this year will be able to visit the newly reopened Museum of the Gorge and take part in fun family events throughout the year, beginning with egg dancing and science workshops this Easter and going through to Victorian Christmas celebrations in December. Following the success of our 2023 temporary exhibition The Daily Grind, our 2024 exhibition From Stars to Cells: The Life of Iron, will open in the Coalbrookdale Gallery from 24 April. Our PASS PLUS is brilliant value for visitors who want to experience more than one museum, offering benefits including free access for one year and free parking.
"We hope that our varied offer and wide range of events and activities combined with passes offering excellent value will attract more people to our museums and to the stunning Ironbridge Gorge this year.”