V&A, Natural History Museum and Science Museum will all have a staggered re-opening.
Three major London museums are gearing up for a series of staggered re-openings next month.
V&A, Natural History Museum and the Science Museum – which are all neighbours in London’s South Kensington – will re-open on different days in August to avoid any pressure on public transport, with visitors needing to book time slots.
The Natural History Museum will open on August 5 (Wednesday-Sunday, 11am-6pm); the V&A on August 6 (initially Thursday-Sunday, 11am-3pm); and the Science Museum on August 19 (seven days a week, 10am-6pm).
In a joint announcement of the re-openings, Sir Michael Dixon, director of the Natural History Museum, commented: “This is a fantastic opportunity to experience all three of our museums without crowds.”
Sir Michael said that he expected visitor numbers would be limited to 2,800 a day, around a fifth of the usual average attendance.
The re-opening plans were revealed as figures were released showing the popularity of museums and galleries in the UK.
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) said there was an average 5.59% increase in visitor figures from 2018 to 2019, reported The Guardian.
The British Museum remained the most visited attraction in the UK, with a 7% increase on numbers. The Tate Modern was up 3.9%, the National Gallery increased 4.8% and the Natural History Museum grew 4%.
Tate Britain also saw an impressive 42% increase in visitor numbers, while Kew Gardens enjoyed a 23% rise in visitors.
Outside of London, the most visited attractions were in Scotland including the National Museum of Scotland and Edinburgh Castle.
Bernard Donoghue, director of ALVA, acknowledged that next year’s figures would look very different, commenting: “They will be extraordinary. But what you see here is how loved and important visitor attractions are to us Brits and how much we want to support them at times of adversity.”
Want to read more news like this? Simply sign up to our daily digest by clicking here. You can also follow @LicensingSource on Twitter and @licensing_source on Instagram.
