Art gallery on song after Kylie show

Published on 22/02/2008 20:56

KYLIE Minogue helped Glasgow's flagship museum notch up one million more visitors than Edinburgh Castle last year.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum attracted 2,232,475 visitors in its first full calendar year of opening since a multi-million pound refurbishment. In 2002, the last full year it was open, it had 955,671 visitors.

Historic Scotland said Edinburgh Castle last year drew 1,229,703 visitors, a 2 per cent increase on 2006.

The castle lost its crown as the nation's number one attraction last summer when it emerged that 1.9 million visitors had been to Kelvingrove between the reopening in July 2006 and the end of the year.

The exhibition at Kelvingrove of Kylie Minogue's costumes attracted more than 165,000 fans in just four months.

A spokesman for Culture and Sport Glasgow said: "Where else could you explore the wonders of Ancient Egypt, enjoy the treasures of Dali and Rembrandt, see a Spitfire hanging from a ceiling and then wander down and view Kylie's hotpants?"

The number of visitors to the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh rose from 830,670 to 841,849. The National Galleries of Scotland said the number of visitors to the complex at the Mound was slightly down, from 942,788 to 937,770.

The Falkirk Wheel saw an 18 per cent rise in visitor numbers, to 513,907.