January 18, 2017

The Burton at Bideford art gallery and museum in Devon has had the V&A Museum of Childhood exhibition – Clangers, Bagpuss & Co. – on display since November 5 and, with just four days to go before it ends, the venue’s footfall visitor count for the 11 week period of the exhibition has reached 19,000.

Far exceeding the expectations of the Burton curator and staff, the exhibition has been one of the most popular in the Burton’s 65 year history as an art gallery.

Compared to last year’s visitor numbers – for an exhibition of permanent collection portraits – of 14,000 visitors, the number of people coming to share their Bagpuss stories has put the gallery and museum on the map.

The nostalgia of revisiting childhood; seeing how animatronic puppets are made; watching old Ivor the Engine episodes; looking at original concept art work for the TV shows; and introducing your children to the characters you grew up with are all reasons visitors have said they have loved the exhibit so warmly.

The media has shown huge interest in this exhibition, locally and nationally. From BBC Radio 6 to Devon Life Magazine, and from The Sunday Times to Radio Devon, the positive coverage of the Clangers has continued throughout the exhibit.

This level of interest has meant The Burton’s exhibitions and collections manager, Warren Collum, is able to bring another quality, major exhibit to the Burton later in the year. He said: “This popularity means we’ve made the right choice hosting the House of Illustration’s ‘BFG in Pictures’ exhibit – of Sir Quentin Blake’s Roald Dahl sketches – in July. People love these kind of all-inclusive exhibits as it crosses so many generations and becomes an enjoyable experience for the whole family.”

If you have time to visit the exhibition – before it closes on Sunday January 22 – then take a look at our new website at www.theburton.org for information.

The Burton is open 10-4 Mon to Sat and 11-4 on Sundays.

ENDS

Notes to editors

We encourage you to take a look at our new site at theburton.org

Interviews

Warren Collum, Collections and Exhibitions Officer, is available for interviews.