Article: David Styles | Image: © Colin Davison
Natural History Museum’s world famous Diplodocus skeleton cast, Dippy, has spent the latest stage of its nationwide tour on loan to Newcastle University’s Great North Museum: Hancock.
For this year’s school summer holidays the museum has recorded its best attendance figures since 2009, the year it reopened following a three-year £26 million renovation.
Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure, which has seen the dinosaur skeleton cast pop up in various locations around the UK, opened at the site on 18th May and has become the most popular temporary exhibition ever held by the institution.
107,944 visits over the six week holidays represents a significant spike in interest for Great North Museum: Hancock.
This marks the fifth juncture of Dippy’s tour, which began 2018 and is being run by Natural History Museum in partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation. The project was created with the goal of connecting 1.5 million people with Dippy and related lessons about the natural world.
Dippy’s UK tour
Prior to a fruitful stay at Great North Museum: Hancock, Dippy has been on display at:
Dorset County Museum
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Ulster Museum
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
The three remaining legs of the UK tour will be hosted by:
National Museum Cardiff
Number One Riverside, Rochdale
Norwich Cathedral
Caroline McDonald, manager of Great North Museum: Hancock, said the reaction to Dippy had been “phenomenal”. Thanks to Dippy, she added, “we are well ahead of our yearly visitor target and we have seen a big uplift in shop sales and donations. All of this helps us continue to deliver great cultural experiences for our visitors.
“We want to thank everyone that has supported us over the summer and encourage those who haven’t seen Dippy to come along to the museum before he leaves in October.”
The exhibition closes on 6th October, when the 26-metre-long Diplodocus skeleton cast moves on to National Museum Cardiff, the sixth of eight stops on the UK tour. Before the iconic attraction is disassembled, a Silent Disco has been scheduled for 4th October; a final chance for the museum to give this year’s visitor figures a boost.
