IT HAS been a record-breaking year for a famous Dorset attraction with visitor numbers reaching new highs.
The Tank Museum in Bovington has seen more than 220,000 people visit in 2023 – a new record on what was also the museum’s 100th year.
A 17 per cent growth on 2022, the museum also became the first in the world to reach more than one million views on its YouTube channel, earning it international headlines.
For its centenary year, the Tank Museum opened its new exhibition ‘Tanks for the Memories’ which displays how the tank has been portrayed in popular culture through games, toys, films and the media.
Read more: Bovington's Tank Museum enjoys bumper summer on 100th year
Rosanna Dean, visitor experience general manager, said: “2023 has been a landmark year for the museum, with more visitors than ever before.
“As a rural, regimental museum, we are delighted that the story of tanks and their crews has attracted audiences of all ages from all over the world.”
This year has also seen increased investment in accessibility, with the introduction of a wellbeing room, sensory backpacks and quiet mornings.
“The museum continues to innovate the customer experience with powerful exhibitions, an inspiring education programme, and a focus on inclusion and accessibility that welcomes all visitors,” Rosanna added.
Bringing the story of tanks to the world has created a new generation of military history enthusiasts who want to visit the collection in person.
The Tank Museum is Dorset’s largest indoor attraction and home to the best collection of armoured vehicles in the world, including the world’s only running Tiger I and the first prototype tank, Little Willie.
The museum, in Bovington, was recommended to be a museum in 1923 before officially opening to the public in 1947.
Bovington has long been a training centre for tanks, becoming the UK’s main hub in 1916, before further bases were created in Swanage, Wareham and Lulworth two years later.
It features some 300 tanks ranging from the very first ‘real tank’ built, the Little Willie, right through to tanks and machinery from Afghanistan this side of the century.
The museum also features the famous Challenger 2 tank – two of which were sent last year to fight in Ukraine in the war against Russia.
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