The least popular tourist attractions in England
The most popular attraction welcomed 6,701,036 people through its doors in 2013, compared to a mere six at the least popular attraction
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Tate Modern, Stonehenge, Big Ben - all names you'd expect to see in a list of the most popular tourist attractions in England. But spare a thought for the attractions where queues are replaced with tumbleweed.
VisitEngland have conducted a survey of 1279 of the nation’s attractions to see which were the most and least popular last year.
The British Museum was the most popular free attraction, followed by the National Gallery and the Natural History Museum in London. The Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey made the top three spots for the most visited paid for attractions. But what about those who struggle to entice visitors through the door?
The Radar Tower in Essex came bottom of the list with only six visitors throughout the year. Built in 1941, the tower was used to detect German 'E' boats in the Harwich Harbour approaches during WWII.
The Gissing Centre in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, came 5th from bottom. The museum, which celebrates the author George Gissing (who some believe to be one of the best three novelists of his generation alongside George Meredith and Thomas Hardy), was only able to attract 118 visitors in all of 2013.
Chief Executive of VisitEngland, James Berresford said: “This survey is open to all attractions to participate, from large attractions attracting thousands of visitors a year, to those with few visitors, but that have local appeal and importance, sometimes even just as well-known local landmarks. At the local level these attractions can make their own unique contribution to the local area, by providing interesting things for visitors to see and do.”
Scroll through the gallery above to find out which other attractions could do with a visit.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments