Leeds Art Gallery tops list of region’s most popular attractions with over 300,000 visitors

Data from Visit Britain, which was quoted in a West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) report, showed the Gallery drew 308,000 people over the course of 2022.

Five other Leeds attractions featured in the region’s top 10, with Harewood House, Leeds City Museum and Lotherton Hall all welcoming more than 200,000 visitors each during last year.

Kirkstall Abbey placed seventh on the list, with just over 132,000 people frequenting the medieval ruin and surrounding green space.

Visitor numbers rose by 44 per cent across all West Yorkshire tourist attractions between 2021 and 2022.

Speaking at a Combined Authority culture committee meeting in Dewsbury on Friday, WYCA officer Peter Glover said the increase, “reflects the fact the country was emerging from the pandemic,” at that time.

“There was a similar picture nationally,” he added.

Attractions in Bradford, Wakefield and Huddersfield completed the top 10 list.

The National Science and Media Museum, in Bradford, was the region’s fifth most popular attraction, with the Keighley’s Cliffe Castle Museum also featuring in the rundown.

Wakefield’s Nostell Priory and Hepworth Gallery drew more than 200,000 visitors between them over the 12 months, while the Whistlestop Valley in Huddersfield, formerly known as the Kirklees Light Railway, welcomed almost 70,000 people.

Calderdale’s most popular attraction was Halifax Minster, with 23,500 visitors, the report said.

West Yorkshire’s top 10 attractions by visitor numbers (2022)

1. Leeds Art Gallery – 308,147
2. Harewood House, Leeds – 292,566
3. Leeds City Museum – 242,638
4. Lotherton Hall & Gardens, Leeds – 208,771
5. National Science and Media Museum, Bradford – 177,847
6. Nostell Priory, Wakefield – 142,426
7. Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds – 132,175
8. Whistlestop Valley, Huddersfield – 68,858
9. The Hepworth, Wakefield – 67,645
10. Cliffe Castle Museum, Keighley – 57,630