CLIFFE Castle Museum in Keighley was the most popular Council-run museum in the Bradford district over the past 12 months.

And the museum, which features an eclectic mix of exhibits, also saw the biggest rise in visitor numbers in the post-pandemic period.

A new report into Bradford’s Museum Service shows that between November 2022 and October 2023, 138,858 people visited the four Council-run museums and galleries – Cliffe Castle, Cartwright Hall, Bolling Hall and Bradford Industrial Museum.

This was up seven per cent compared to the previous 12 months.

There were an additional 18,531 visits by children who came in school groups – making a total of 157,389 visits.

Visitors to Cliffe Castle Museum, based in Cliffe Castle Park were up nine per cent – with 62,478 people (including school groups) passing through the doors of the quirky attraction in that period.

Cartwright Hall Gallery had 44,223 visitors, Bradford Industrial Museum 35,505 and Bolling Hall 15,183.

The report said: “The period, November 2022 – October 2023, has seen considerable progress with audience development across all venues, averaging over 3,000 visits per week, and evidences a steady recovery of visitors and school visits following the decline seen nationally following the pandemic.”