Independent, The (London): Tourists flock in record numbers to England's historic sites

FindArticles > Independent, The (London) > Aug 10, 1998 > Article > Print friendly

Tourists flock in record numbers to England's historic sites

PETER WOODMAN Special Correspondent

Visitors are flocking to England's historic properties in record numbers, it was announced today.

The properties, which include Warwick Castle, the Tower of London and Canterbury Cathedral, received 71 million visitors in 1997, the English Tourist Board said.

This was the third successive annual increase, with visitor numbers rising two per cent on the total for 1996.

Osborn House on the Isle of Wight had a 30 per cent increase in tourists, helped by its featuring in the film Mrs Brown, in which Dame Judi Dench starred as Queen Victoria.

Admissions to Walmer Castle in Kent soared 47 per cent to 59,121 after the creation of a new garden celebrating the 95th birthday of the Queen Mother.

Other leaps in visitor numbers were recorded at Harewood House in West Yorkshire (up 23 per cent) and Chatsworth House in Derbyshire (up 21 per cent).

The top 10 historic properties which charged admission in 1997 were:

Tower of London, 2,615,170 visitors; Canterbury Cathedral, 1,613,000; Windsor Castle, 1,129,629; St Paul's Cathedral, 964,737; Roman Baths and Pump Room, Bath, 933,489; Warwick Castle, 789,000; Stonehenge, Wiltshire, 772,963; Hampton Court Palace, south London, 643,226; Leeds Castle, Kent, 584,670; Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, 489,672.