DOCSLIB.ORG

ASVA Visitor Trend Report, February 2015 Dashboard Summary, February 2015

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
ASVA Visitor Trend Report, February 2015 Dashboard Summary, February 2015 ASVA Visitor Trend Report, February 2015 Dashboard Summary, February 2015 Usable data was received from 175 sites. The total number of visits recorded in February 2015 Scotland Total Visitor Numbers was 1304108; this compares to 1228099 in 2014 and indicates an increase of 6.2%. Excluding Country Parks Month of February 1,304,108 6.2% p ASVA's Commentary and Observations for February 2015 Year-to-Date 2,277,395 2.8% p From the comparable responses received, visitor numbers to ASVA member sites in February 2015 show an increase of 6.2% on February 2014. 70% of respondents note an increase. Looking at the dashboard summary, nine of the eleven Including Country Parks sectors show an increase for the month with only 'Gardens' and ‘Museums & Galleries’ indicating a small decrease of 1.1%. Month of February 1,985,318 4.2% p The latter’s decrease is due to lower footfall at two of the country’s biggest sites: Per Region - National Museum of Scotland (-14%) which has some galleries closed for redevelopment This report was - Kelvingrove (-36%) which in February last year was still hosting the sell-out Jack Vettriano exhibition Northern Scotland 73,061 21.9% p produced for ASVA by Eastern Scotland 724,515 8.6% p Across the country, a number of larger sites also note meaningful increases in visitor numbers. These include: Edinburgh Southern Scotland 35,181 -3.6% q Castle (17%), New Lanark World Heritage Site (38%), Johnston’s of Elgin (46%), New Lanark Visitor Centre (115%), McManus Western Scotland 1,152,561 1.0% p Galleries (32%), Nevis Range (11%), Riverside Museum (27%), Scottish National Gallery (33%), Scottish National Portrait Gallery (45%), St Giles Cathedral (26%), Stirling Castle (63%), Summerlee Museum (62%), The Falkirk Wheel (61%) and the Scottish Parliament (28%). (See page 2 for comments.) Per Attraction Category February started cold and settled but the weather turned wet and windier later in the month as westerly winds spread Heritage/historic bands of rain across all areas. It was a generally cold month with a below average mean temperature. Ironically the highest property/stately 221,261 21.4% p temperature of the month across the UK was recorded at Fyvie Castle (15.6C) on the 18th, caused by a mild foehn wind. house Although the west was generally wetter than the east, overall Scotland saw just 88% of average rainfall but overcast skies Museums & Galleries 686,108 -1.1% q meant that sunshine was not plentiful with 90% averaged across the country. Zoo/wildlife/safari 80,247 10.3% p park/aquarium Sports & activities 17,143 9.2% p Forest park/regional 681,210 0.6% p park/country park Gardens 178 -81.9% q Science Centre 56,967 1.3% p Distillery/whisky 29,606 12.1% p related Visitor Centre 108,854 23.9% p Boat Trip/Marine 35,908 32.2% p Spend per Other 67,836 4.1% p Ticket SPV1 Retail SPV Catering SPV ticket sold2 5.49 (56) 8.92 (24) 1.06 (57) 1.40 (8) 1.3% p -5.3% q -10.7% q 2.9% p For further information, contact ASVA at: Confidential information for ASVA members only e-mail: [email protected] Please do not further distribute this report without permission from ASVA Tel: 0141 229 0923 Any commentary to press will be managed by ASVA 2 Year-on-Year Visitor Numbers Visitor Numbers 6.2% p Month 3,840,140 1,304,108 1,228,099 3,225,933 Latest 2,406,283 2,338,837 2,220,719 2,052,959 2,018,242 1,411,180 1,363,347 1,304,108 1,131,847 973,287 Mar 14 Apr 14 May 14 Jun 14 Jul 14 Aug 14 Sep 14 Oct 14 Nov 14 Dec 14 Jan 15 Feb 15 Feb 15 Feb 14 Additional Comments Ticket SPV Retail SPV Catering SPV Ticket Spend Blair Athol Distillery Visitor Site partially closed. 1.3% p Centre £5.49 Retail Spend £5.42 Camera Obscura and World of The shop was closed until 13th February for a refit causes a loss in shop income. -10.7% q Illusions Catering Spend Chatelherault Country Park Strong winds and heavy rain continued into February. 2.9% p Edinburgh Bus Tours Half term, better starting point. £1.40 £1.36 £1.19 £1.06 Highland Wildlife Park Our main cafe is going through refurbishment. Our main drive through reserve was closed for 9 days due to icy conditions. Feb 15 Feb 14 National Museum of Flight Museum only open during weekends until April. New Lanark Visitor Centre The Prestonpans Tapestry ran throughout the month of February, and we had a special 'Living History' day on Saturday 21 February. To celebrate Valentine's Day we ran a competition on Facebook & Twitter £8.92 for people to share the reasons they #LoveNewLanark. £9.42 Spend per ticket sold The Lighthouse We are in the processing of refurbishing our shop and this has affected numbers. -5.3% q The Scotch Whisky Function rooms closed for refurbishment. Experience Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery We were closed last year in February for refurbishment. _________________ 1 Ticket spend per visitor (Ticket SPV) divides the total ticket revenue by the number of visitors from ticket-revenue submitting sites. Feb 15 Feb 14 2 Spend per ticket sold divides the total ticket revenue by the number of tickets sold. 3 Site-specific report February 2015 u Responses for February 2015 were received from 175 sites. u 15 sites requested confidentiality, and although their numbers have been included in the calculations, they do not appear in the tables below. u 7 sites have not submitted results this month last year and thus do not appear in the tables below. February February 2015 2014 Y-o-Y 2015 2014 Y-o-Y Aberdour Castle 546 534 2% Dumfries Museum & Camera Obscura 1251 975 28% Aberlour Distillery 183 166 10% Dunblane Cathedral 1005 1214 -17% Almond Valley Heritage Trust 6273 4702 33% Dundee Science Centre 5670 4748 19% Arbroath Abbey 426 306 39% Dunfermline Palace 414 320 29% Argyll's Lodgings 1591 1472 8% Dunstaffnage Castle 249 98 154% Auchindrain 20 12 67% Edinburgh Bus Tours 16608 15467 7% Black House 47 57 -18% Edinburgh Butterfly & Insect World 7102 8429 -16% Blackness Castle 1051 388 171% Edinburgh Castle 64451 55053 17% Blair Athol Distillery Visitor Centre 245 1073 -77% Edinburgh Zoo 42278 36946 14% Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway 500 500 0% Elgin Cathedral 186 107 74% Bothwell Castle 396 482 -18% FC Scotland - Clatteringshaws Visitor Centre 1540 980 57% Broughty Castle Museum 2413 1881 28% FC Scotland - Glenmore Visitor Centre 6272 1851 239% Caerlaverock Castle 1161 901 29% FC Scotland - Kirroughtree Visitor Centre 3752 4424 -15% Caithness Horizons 4216 0 0% FC Scotland - Glentrool Visitor Centre 448 1344 -67% Calderglen Country Park 58239 59654 -2% Fort George 1027 946 9% Callendar House 1365 1721 -21% Gallery of Modern Art 41826 43248 -3% Camperdown Wildlife Centre 4285 2764 55% Glasgow Cathedral 4504 3522 28% Caol Ila Distillery Visitor Centre 141 134 5% Glasgow Museums Resource Centre 1464 1325 10% Cardhu Distillery Visitor Centre 184 99 86% Glasgow Science Centre 30186 32526 -7% Castle Campbell 824 446 85% Glen Ord Distillery Visitor Centre 248 103 141% City Art Centre 4492 4768 -6% Glencoe 142 326 -56% Clyde Muirshiel - Castle Semple Country Park 21475 19935 8% Glengoyne 2180 1581 38% Clyde Muirshiel - Greenock Cut Visitor Centre 4256 3203 33% Glenkinchie Distillery Visitor Centre 1540 1473 5% Clyde Muirshiel - Lunderston Bay 13130 10721 22% Glenlivet Distillery 12 128 -91% Clyde Muirshiel – Muirshiel Country Park 2140 2218 -4% Greenbank Garden 94 867 -89% Clydebank Museum and Art Gallery 2711 3963 -32% Highland Wildlife Park 5907 5680 4% Clynelish Distillery Visitor Centre 76 39 95% Huntingtower Castle 327 344 -5% Craigmillar Castle 1222 1019 20% Huntly Castle 185 232 -20% Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate 337 335 1% Inveraray Jail 2212 2322 -5% Culzean Country Park 1589 2218 -28% Inveresk Lodge Garden 53 17 212% Dallas Dhu Distillery 72 38 89% Iona Abbey 127 169 -25% Dalwhinnie Distillery Visitor Centre 1143 438 161% Jarlshof 25 10 150% David Livingstone Centre 62 411 -85% Jedburgh Abbey 364 332 10% Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery 1197 30 3890% Johnstons of Elgin 11989 8238 46% Dirleton Castle 1086 827 31% Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum 72172 112143 -36% Discovery Point 3535 3135 13% Lagavulin Distillery Visitor Centre 133 153 -13% Doune Castle 1952 1339 46% Lauriston Castle 2167 2880 -25% Drumpellier Country Park 67249 66706 1% Linlithgow Palace 2751 1915 44% Dryburgh Abbey 650 546 19% Low Parks Museum 1957 2260 -13% Dumbarton Castle 686 513 34% Macduff Marine Aquarium 2676 2499 7% 4 February February 2015 2014 Y-o-Y 2015 2014 Y-o-Y Malleny Garden 22 42 -48% Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum 3285 4034 -19% Mclean Museum & Art Gallery 2802 2976 -6% St Andrews Castle 2201 1558 41% Mcmanus Galleries 15016 11417 32% St Andrews Cathedral 823 757 9% Melrose Abbey 751 664 13% St Giles' Cathedral 48644 38611 26% Mills Observatory 1399 1135 23% St Vigeans 78 15 420% Mugdock Country Park 47647 48381 -2% Stirling Castle 20593 12626 63% Museum of Childhood 14341 14840 -3% Strathclyde Country Park 397808 392062 1% Museum of Edinburgh 5848 4730 24% Strathisla Distillery 150 38 295% National Mining Museum Scotland 5344 5665 -6% Summerlee Museum 10516 6474 62% National Museum of Flight 2913 2714 7% Sweetheart Abbey 166 103 61% National Museum of Rural Life 6829 4804 42% Talisker Distillery Visitor Centre 493 489 1% National Museum of Scotland 124005 144559 -14% Tantallon Castle 1624 1096 48% National War Museum 31218 28884 8% The Burrell Collection 12770 13206 -3% The Nelson Monument 599 711 -16% The Falkirk Wheel 19074 11815 61% Nevis Range 17001 15368 11% The Famous Grouse Experience 3400 3062 11% New Abbey Corn Mill 64 80 -20% The Glasgow School of Art 365 1369 -73% New Lanark Visitor Centre 5682
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Map of Balgay Hill
    Balgay Hill is part of Greater Balgay, which was purchased The network of footpaths around the hill offer pleasant walks Welcome to by the city council from the estate of Sir William Scott, and and magnificent views across the River Tay. developed as a park from about 1870. The top of the main hill is 146 metres above sea level and The name ‘Balgay’ comes from the Gaelic ‘Baile na Gaoithe,’ is home to the city’s Mills Observatory. See insert below which is translated as ‘village of the wind.’ for more information. Balgay Hill. The narrow valley (a ‘glack’ or ‘glaik’) spanned by an elegant In addition to the observatory there is a ‘Planet Trail’ cast iron bridge, used to be a smuggling route. which offers a symbolic map of the solar system, Visitor Guidelines: spread along a informal walk on the crest of the hill. The hill is thickly forested with a mixture of interesting We wish your visit to this park to be as pleasant as possible. native and exotic trees, including many outstanding For more information about various aspects of Please be responsible, follow these simple guidelines evergreen specimens. Greater Balgay, and many other parks in the city, and show consideration for other visitors to this park. The park is also a refuge for many species of smaller please see: www.dundeecity.gov.uk Please see main management rules for details. native plants, animals such as bats and owls, and lots of interesting insects. 1. Fires are not permitted. 2. Cars are restricted to the Mills Observatory route.
    [Show full text]
  • Dundee Women's Festival 2019
    Welcome to Dundee Women’s Festival 2019 - two weeks when women use their voices to entertain, educate and enhance their own lives and those of others. We have an even bigger and more varied programme than ever before with something to appeal to all women regardless of age, interests, advantages or disadvantages. I am especially delighted that the Scottish Parliament Centenary Grant has allowed us to host a conference on the fight for women’s suffrage and what our vote means today. If you, your friends, daughters or grand-daughters are aged between 16 and 25, sign up and find out ‘Why Should I Bother to Vote?’ In March many women’s voices will be heard in Dundee. Make sure one of them is yours! Prue Watson Chair, Dundee Women’s Festival P.S. - make sure you take a look at our fantastic Details on pages 20 - 21 To our funders - Dundee Women’s Festival is a registered charity, run by a small committee of volunteers. Our work is funded by donations both large and small. This year’s festival was made possible by funding from Rosa, Dundee City Council and generous donations from individuals. 2 Volunteer | Join the committee | Say hello Email [email protected] Website www.dundeewomensfestival.org.uk Facebook and Twitter @dundeewomensfest Have a browse Circle what you fancy Contact the venue & book your space! WO = Women Only For VENUES see page 23 (inside back cover) CENTENARY SUFFRAGE CONFERENCE – Why Should I Bother to Vote? 10.00am – 3.30pm | D&A Gardyne 17 | FREE | For young women (16-25) A free event for young women aged 16-25 encouraging them to vote by looking at the history of women’s suffrage and our political system.
    [Show full text]
  • Creative Scotland Annual Plan 2014-15
    Creative Scotland Annual Plan 2014-15 © 2014 Creative Scotland No part of this publication may be reproduced in any format without prior written permission of Creative Scotland. Equal opportunities Creative Scotland operates an equal opportunities policy. Our offices have disabled access. Certain publications can be made available in Gaelic, in large print, Braille or audio format. Contact Enquiries on 0845 603 6000 Typetalk please prefix number with 18001 This plan is produced in electronic form by Creative Scotland – please consider the environment and do not print unless you really need to Your feedback is important to us. Let us know what you think of this publication by emailing [email protected] Cover: Artists Will Barras and Amy Winstanley painting a Rural Mural at Stranraer Harbour, part of Spring Fling. Photo: Colin Hattersley Contents 5 Introduction 13 Funding, Advocacy, Development and Influencing 15 Our Priorities Over the Next 3 Years 16 Our Priorities Over the Next 12 Months 20 Being a Learning Organisation 24 Our Current Policies 29 Summary Budget 2014-15 37 Planning and Performance 38 Performing Against Our Ambitions 2014-15 52 Delivering National Outcomes 1 Artist Alison Watt and Master Weaver Naomi Robertson, Butterfly tapestry, cutting off ceremony. Photo: courtesy of Dovecot Studios 2 3 Honeyblood at The Great Escape. Photo: Euan Robertson 4 Introduction A Shared Vision We want a Scotland where everyone actively values and celebrates arts and creativity as the heartbeat for our lives and the world in which we live; which continually extends its creative imagination and ways of doing things; and where the arts, screen and creative industries are confident, connected and thriving.
    [Show full text]
  • 12:34 Pm 12:34 Pm
    www.dundee.com 12:34 PM 12:34 PM Download FREE for your Guide to Dundee One City, Many Discoveries www.dundee.com Words people most associate with Dundee: www.dundee.com Dundee is home to one of the most significant biomedical and life sciences communities in the UK outwith Oxford and Cambridge. Dundee has one of the highest student population ratios in the UK. At 1:5 with 50,000 studying within 30 minutes of the city. www.dundee.com Dundee was named the Global video game hits UK’s first UNESCO City Lemmings and Grand of Design by the United Theft Auto were created Nations in 2014. in Dundee. www.dundee.com The City of Design desig- nation has previously been HMS Unicorn is one of the oldest ships afloat in the world. Dundee boasts two 5-star award winning visitor attractions, namely Discovery Point and Scotland’s Jute Museum @ Verdant Works. In addition, other attractions include HMS Unicorn, Dundee Science Centre and Mills Observatory. www.dundee.com a few Broughty Castle Scotland’s Jute Museum Museum @ Verdant 01382 436916 Works 01382 309060 D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum HMS Frigate 01382 384310 Unicorn 01382 200900 The Population Tayside Medical of Dundee is History Museum Dundee Science currently 148,710 01382 384310 Centre with approximately 01382 228800 306,300 people RRS Discovery/ living within a 30 Discovery Point minute drive time. 01382 309060 www.dundee.com “Dundee is a little pot of gold at the end of the A92” - The Guardian Dundee is a cultural hive - both historical and contemporary.
    [Show full text]
  • Ideas to Inspire
    Highland Perthshire and Dundee Follow the River Tay to the sea Dundee City Council © The Atholl Highlanders, Blair Castle Dundee Contemporary Arts Edradour Distillery, near Pitlochry Looking over Dundee and the River Tay from The Law Ideas to inspire Enjoy a wonderful 4-day countryside and city break in the east of Scotland. Within easy reach of Scotland’s central belt, the striking scenery, history and Brilliant events in Perthshire natural heritage of Highland Perthshire is perfectly complemented by the culture, parks, shopping and food and drink of a Dundee city break. May - Atholl Highlanders Parade & Gathering, Blair Castle July - Kenmore Highland Games Starting in the Pitlochry area, explore the history of elegant Blair Castle, then head for Loch Tummel and admire the wonderful Queen’s View with its July - GWCT Scottish Game Fair, Scone Palace, by Perth delightful Forestry Commission Scotland visitor centre. Neolithic history is the August - Aberfeldy Show & Games next stop as you marvel at the reconstructed Iron Age crannog at the Scottish August - Blair Castle International Horse Trials & Country Fair, Blair Atholl Crannog Centre. End the day with a visit to Dewar’s World of Whisky, where a October - Perthshire Amber Music Festival, various Perthshire venues tour of Aberfeldy Distillery blends perfectly with displays showcasing how Dewar’s has become one of the world’s favourite whiskies. October - The Enchanted Forest, Pitlochry Find out about these and other events at www.visitscotland.com/perthshire Day two begins with a stroll through the woodlands of The Hermitage near Dunkeld, towards the impressive Black Linn waterfall. Next, stop off at Stanley Mills and discover Perthshire’s fascinating industrial heritage, before heading to Perth to explore the absorbing Black Watch Museum.
    [Show full text]
  • ASVA Visitor Trend Report, December 2015 Dashboard Summary, December 2015
    ASVA Visitor Trend Report, December 2015 Dashboard Summary, December 2015 Scotland Total Visitor Numbers Usable data was received from 179 sites. The total number of visits recorded in December 2015 was 1,157,383; this compares to 1,154,657 in 2014 and indicates an increase of 0.2%. Excluding Country Parks Month of December 1,157,383 0.2% p ASVA's Commentary and Observations for December 2015 Year-to-Date 25,430,260 3.1% p Please note that figures can only be used when there is comparable data for both years, so if you submitted figures for Including Country Parks 2015 and do not see these in the listing, this is the reason. Month of December 1,586,034 2.1% p The marginal increase of 0.2% shown (excluding Country Parks) brings the year to an end and sees 45% of respondents Per Region noting an increase. Northern Scotland 48,350 -7.2% q December is typically one of the quietest months of the year although in some sites Christmas related activities do boost *Northern Scotland † 47,300 -9.2% q This report was numbers (see New Lanark Visitor Centre). Looking at the dashboard summary, two of the regions show increased visitor Eastern Scotland 702,346 2.3% p produced for ASVA by numbers and two show a decrease. Despite the extremely wet weather (see next paragraph), and for some against the Southern Scotland 30,179 0.7% p odds, several sites did show healthy increases including: Dundee Science Centre (140%), FC Scotland The Lodge Visitor Western Scotland 805,159 2.5% p Centre (36%), Gallery of Modern Art (16%), Highland Wildlife Park (49%), Kelvingrove (11%), Riverside Museum (7%), *Western Scotland † 377,558 -51.9% q Scottish Fisheries Museum (2209%), Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (67%) and The Real Mary King’s Close (37%) Weather-wise, December was mild with mean temperatures 3⁰C above average.
    [Show full text]
  • Asva Visitor Trend Report - September 2009/2010
    ASVA VISITOR TREND REPORT - SEPTEMBER 2009/2010 OVERVIEW Visitor numbers for September 2009/2010 were received from 218 sites. 9 sites requested confidentiality, and although their numbers have been included in the calculations, they do not appear in the tables below. There are 14 sites for which there is no directly comparable data for 2009. The 2010 figures do appear in the table below for information but were not included in the calculations. Thus, directly comparable data has been used from 204 sites. From the usable data from 204 sites, the total number of visits recorded in September 2010 was 1,551,800 this compares with 1,513,324 in 2009 and indicates an increase of 2.5% for the month. Weatherwise, September was a changeable month with rain and strong winds, with average rainfall up to 150% higher than average Some areas experienced localised flooding and there was some disruption to ferry and rail services. The last weekend of the month saw clear skies in a northerly wind which brought local air frosts to some areas and a few places saw their lowest temperatures in September in 20 to30 years. http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/uk_reviews/default.stm September 2009 September 2010 % change SE AREA (156) 1,319,250 1,356,219 2.8% HIE AREA (48) 194,074 195,581 0.8% SCOTLAND TOTAL (204) 1,513,324 1,551,800 2.5% Table 1 – Scotland September 2009/2010 SE AREA In September 2010 there were 1,356,219 visits recorded, compared to 1,319,250 during the same period in 2009, an increase of 2.8%.
    [Show full text]
  • Asva Visitor Trend Report - January 2011/2012
    ASVA VISITOR TREND REPORT - JANUARY 2011/2012 OVERVIEW Visitor figures for January 2011/2012 were received from 215 sites. 10 sites requested confidentiality, and although their numbers have been included in the calculations, they do not appear in the tables below. 75 sites noted that they were closed for the season. The Riverside Museum in Glasgow was not open in 2010 so their figures for 2011 are shown in the table below for reference but have not been included in the calculation. And following discussion with colleagues, we have published the 2010 and 2011 figures for the National Museum of Scotland but these have not been included in the calculations. The reason for this decision is that the site was only partially open in 2010 whilst it was undergoing major refurbishment and upgrade, prior to the re-opening of the whole site in the summer of 2011. As can be seen, the total increase in visitor numbers is just under 300%, and to include these considerable numbers in the calculations would skew the national figure (see below). In addition, there are 6 sites for which there was no comparable data Comparable data was therefore received from 134 sites. The total number of visits recorded in January 2011 was 788,707 this compares with 733,699 in 2010 and indicates an increase of 7.5%. January 2012 had much better overall weather conditions than 2011 which saw widespread disruption because of low temperatures, sleet and snow. It was a relatively mild month, although the start of the month carried over some stormy conditions from December.
    [Show full text]
  • Clinical Sciences and Drug Discovery (CSDD) in Dundee, Scotland
    al Scie ic n n c Scientific i e l CSDD-2016 s UNITED Group C D R Y U R G E DISCOV Supporting Organization II International Conference on Clinical Sciences and Media Partner Drug Discovery July 27-29, 2016 University of Dundee, Scotland Drug discovery and development to clinical trials Welcome Message Dear colleagues, On behalf of the local organising committee of CSDD-2016, I am honoured and delighted to welcome you to the International Conference on Clinical Sciences and Drug Discovery (CSDD) in Dundee, Scotland. This will be an excellent opportunity to meet again in Europe, following the very successful CSDD-2015 held in Baltimore. CSDD-2016 will provide a perfect opportunity for multidisciplinary collaboration between clinicians, scientists, policy makers, innovators, public health researchers, pharmaceutical scientists, internists and primary care physicians from all over the world to discuss important international breakthroughs in the fields of clinical sciences and drug discovery. We look forward to your contribution and participation in three days of stimulating discussion, knowledge sharing, networking and co-operation. Nikolai Zhelev We also hope and trust that you will find the conference, and your visit to the very beautiful Abertay University and exciting city of Dundee, in July 2016 both valuable and enjoyable. Many of Dundee’s UK main tourist attractions and all the accommodation for delegates are in walking distance from the conference venue. Moreover, you will have the opportunity to enjoy an evening of Scottish country
    [Show full text]
  • The Mills Public Observatory in Dundee 345
    Vincent: The Mills Public Observatory in Dundee 345 (Note: The first episode of this series was screened during the colloquium.) Discussion D. Bruckner: Do not mythology and astronomy form a complementary pair rather than a pair of opposites, and might not a complementary approach be more effective in presenting astronomy to the public? J.V. Narlikar: Yes, and in our present approach we are taking this into consideration, showing how both deal with the same subject in their individual ways, and so introduce the modern astronomical view. THE MILLS PUBLIC OBSERVATORY IN DUNDEE Fiona Vincent Mills Observatory, Balgay Park, Dundee DD2 2UB, Scotland The only full-time public observatory in Britain is the Mills Observatory in Dundee, Scotland. John Mills was a successful businessman in Victorian Dundee with an interest in astronomy. He bequeathed his money to build a public astro­ nomical observatory in the city, for studying "the wonder and beauty of the works of God in creation." The Mills Observatory was eventually opened in 1935. Dundee is situated on the northern shore of the River Tay, in central Scotland. The Observatory stands on a wooded hill (an extinct volcano) near the center of the city. The trees shelter it from virtually all direct city light, while leaving an uninterrupted view south across the Firth of Tay. There is some scattered light, but in clear weather the sky can be surprisingly dark, and the Milky Way distinctly visible. The Observatory is run by the City of Dundee District Council. It stays open till 10 pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the winter; in summer it is open only in daytime (at latitude 56°.5 N it never gets dark in summer).
    [Show full text]
  • Enjoy 48 Hours in Dundee
    Enjoy 48 Hours in Dundee www.dundee.com Welcome to Dundee, one of Scotland’s most dynamic cities, where you are guaranteed a warm Scottish welcome, many places to eat and drink, great attractions and, because of Dundee’s proximity to Fife, Angus and Perthshire, some breathtaking scenery. The city benefits from a central geographic location, and has an excellent road, rail and air network with daily flights to London Stansted. www.dundee.com/visit There is so much on offer - V&A Dundee opened in 2018 – It is the first ever dedicated design museum in Scotland and the only other V&A Museum anywhere in the world outside London. Among a host of other things Dundee proudly celebrates its seafaring heritage. RRS Discovery, which was built in the city, is the vessel sailed by Captain Robert Falcon Scott on his first voyage to Antarctica in 1901. Whilst at City Quay you will discover one of the oldest British built wooden frigates still afloat, HMS Unicorn. Visit the award winning textile heritage centre, Verdant Works including the refurbished High Mill or The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum, home to one of Scotland’s most impressive collections of fine and decorative art. Visit Dundee’s Museum of Transport and explore the city’s West End, where the Dundee Repertory Theatre offers a wide range of genres and Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) housing two cinemas and contemporary art exhibitions. Behind the DCA you will find Dundee Science Centre. Enjoy discovering Dundee city centre where the Overgate is the jewel in Dundee’s retail crown.
    [Show full text]
  • ASVA Visitor Trend Report, December 2013 Dashboard Summary, December 2013
    ASVA Visitor Trend Report, December 2013 Dashboard Summary, December 2013 Usable data was received from 155 sites. The total number of visits recorded in December 2013 Scotland Total was 994207; this compares to 995027 in 2012 and indicates a decrease of -0.1%. Month of December 994,207 -0.1% q Year-to-Date 26,848,701 0.8% p ASVA's Commentary and Observation for December 2013 December 2013 shows a decrease of -0.1% over December 2013. From the usable responses, 60% Per Region reported a decrease. Northern Scotland 82,525 -10.8% q There does not appear to be any pattern or trend shown by the figures. Higher than average decreases Eastern Scotland 422,768 0.8% p can be seen at some larger sites including - CairnGorm Mountain(- 30%), Glenmore Forest Park Visitor Southern Scotland 42,298 23.0% p Centre (-39%), Glasgow Science Centre (-47%), New Lanark World Heritage Site, Royal Botanic Garden Western Scotland 446,616 -0.5% q Edinburgh (-7%) and St Giles Cathedral (-7%). Conversely there were other larger sites reporting an increase including Chatelherault Country Park (9%), Museum of Edinburgh (70%), National War Museum (16%), Riverside Museum (23%), Robert Burns Birthplace Museum (23%), The Falkirk Wheel (101%), Scottish Parliament (48%) and special exhibitions have helped boost numbers at Kelvingrove (15%) – Jack Per Attraction Category Vettriano Retrospective and at the City Art Centre (29%) – Lion King exhibition. Heritage/historic Weatherwise, December started cold and sunny but before long low pressure took control and dominated property/stately the rest of the month. Across the UK it was the wettest December in 34 years.
    [Show full text]