Visitors flock to newest attraction
May 25 2009 by Laura Caroe, The Journal
NEWCASTLE'S new museum welcomed up to 10,000 people on its first weekend.
Collections from a number of centres in Newcastle have been brought together at the Great North Museum, which is exhibiting everything from the living planet to world cultures.
Staff believe that up to 10,000 visitors came to the centre and lined the streets outside on Saturday.
Balloon animals, juggling and face painting greeted the crowd who waited outside at 10am to get the first look at the new exhibitions.
Steve McLean, senior manager at the museum, said: “I’ve never worked so hard in my entire life. It was a complex and challenging project.
“But the important thing is that we now have the museum open for the public. They are our biggest critics and it’s quite emotional to see people in there but we are getting the reaction that we all wanted.
“It is staggering that so many people visited us, it is amazing. We have been getting some great comments, one visitor said it was the best attraction in the North East.
“The museum is so different to what it was, but the character of the building is still the same, which I think people like.”
It is just over three years since the 19th Century Hancock Museum closed for its transformation.
